DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers of  (a) the Welsh Guards and  (b) the Royal Welsh Regiment are deployed in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The deployment of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and elements of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh to Afghanistan was announced by the then Secretary of State for Defence on 16 December 2008.
	The number of personnel in units may fluctuate significantly on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, and visits. Units often contain individual augmentees from other units and services, and additional members from the Welsh Guards and the Royal Welsh Regiment may be augmenting other units.
	These data are not collated centrally and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Mental Health

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have resumed  (a) front line service and  (b) civilian military support duties after being diagnosed with a mental health condition in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The MOD's Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) organisation has since July 2007 reported on the Psychiatric Morbidity of the UK Armed Forces, and quarterly Reports for the whole of 2007 and 2008 are now available both in the Library of the House and on the DASA website at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk
	Equivalent verified data prior to 2007 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The figures show that, of the 10,103 personnel who attended a MOD Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) for the first time during this two-year period, 7,101 were assessed as having a mental health disorder of some sort. These included a wide range and severity of neurotic and mood disorders; only 335 were given an initial diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
	While records are not collated centrally as to how many of these return specifically to the frontline or to other service duties, overall only around 200 personnel are discharged each year where mental and behavioural disorders are the principal disability. This demonstrates that if personnel do come forward for mental health assessment and treatment, the vast majority can be treated and remain in service.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many airborne jumps armed forces personnel undertook for training purposes from civilian aircraft in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The total number of annual parachute descents by entitled service personnel conducted between 2004 and 2008 from civilian aircraft is provided in the following table. This includes displays conducted by the RAF Falcon display team, whose descents cannot be broken out from the totals.
	
		
			   Descents from civilian aircraft 
			 2004 5,610 
			 2005 3,462 
			 2006 2,139 
			 2007 203 
			 2008 3,470 
		
	
	Civilian aircraft make a valuable and cost-effective contribution to parachute training particularly when military aircraft are deployed on other high priority military tasks. The relatively small number of descents made in 2007 is due to an increased availability of military aircraft in that year.

Ascension Island

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 18W, on Ascension Island, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes in response to his query.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 2 July 2009
	The decision by the Ascension Island Government to remove a variation in the Ministry of Defence's annual property tax liability, which had the effect of almost doubling the amount, is currently being disputed. The MOD, therefore, has not paid this new tax liability in full. Urgent discussions are taking place between the MOD and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about the amount of property tax owed. We are seeking an agreement that is fair and equitable, and assurance that the services received in return from the Ascension Island Government represent best value for money. I will inform the House once these discussions are complete.

Departmental Accountancy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department's resource accounts for 2008-09 are expected to be laid before the House by the summer recess.

Departmental Information Officers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department of  (a) press officers and  (b) other press office staff has been in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: Currently, there are 110 press officers employed across the Department, as recorded in the Central Office of Information's White Book, of which 35 are within the central MOD Media and Communications unit or Regional Defence Press Officer Network. Additionally, there are five press office support staff.
	The total includes civilian and military staff working across the Department (including within single services) and are defined as those who directly interface with national or regional media on news issues, and in direct support of operations.
	The cost for the 35 press officers and five support staff employed by the central organisation based on capitation rates for 2009-10 is approximately £2.2 million, which includes some £115,000 for the press office support staff.
	Press officer costs in other areas of the Department and historical records, since 1997, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Operation Herrick 10: Operation Herrick 9

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel have lost limbs in the course of (a) Operation Herrick 10 and  (b) Operation Herrick 9.

Bob Ainsworth: Fifteen surviving casualties from roulement 9 of Op. Herrick, between 15 October 2008 and 14 April 2009, sustained a traumatic or surgical amputation ranging from the loss of part of a finger or toe up to the loss of an entire limb or limbs.
	Initial figures for roulement 10, will be reported following the end of the roulement period.
	These figures include those who have had a surgical amputation performed either at military field hospitals or in hospital in the UK. These figures may be amended as records are updated.

Tornado Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying hours were completed by Tornado aircraft in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 14-16MC, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) which provides the actual flying hours completed by Tornado aircraft from 2001-02 until 2007-08. Information prior to 2001-02 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The actual flying hours completed for 2008-09 are:
	
		
			  Aircraft  Actual hours flown 
			 Tornado F3 7,460 
			 Tornado GR4 22,248

Written Questions: Government Responses

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to answer question 279511, on Demos, tabled on 11 June 2009.

Kevan Jones: I replied to my hon. Friend on 9 July 2009,  Official Report, column 943W.

SCOTLAND

Conditions of Employment

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of employees in his Department  (a) are on a flexible working contract,  (b) are on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Ann McKechin: All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice. Any member of staff can request a change to their working pattern and line managers consider requests in line with the policy and guidance of the parent Department.
	Staff below the senior civil service (92 per cent.) can work to a flexi-time agreement and local records are kept of hours worked; 4 per cent. of all staff work part-time; and 4 per cent. work compressed hours. No staff work on job-share or work from home for more than four hours per week.

Departmental Accountancy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not produce its own set of resource accounts, the Office's figures are included within the resource accounts of the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Buildings

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the floor area is of each of the premises occupied by his Department.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office occupies premises at Dover House, London and Melville Crescent, Edinburgh. Both buildings provide non standard office accommodation and have listed building status, they provide both office space as well as accommodation that can be doubled up for hosting events. The office occupies a floor area of 927.5m(2) in Dover House and 694m(2) in Melville Crescent.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
	The Scotland Office shares an information technology system with the Scottish Executive, who are responsible for the development, administration, security and maintenance of the system. They comply with the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework in relation to information security including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) photocopiers,  (b) scanning devices and  (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: Details of the number of Scotland Office photocopiers, scanning devices and fax machines in each of the last three years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Scotland Office-overall 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Photocopiers 6 5 4 
			 Scanning devices 2 2 3 
			 Fax machines (incl. secure fax) 19 18 16 
		
	
	My officials are in regular communication with their counterparts in the Scottish Government and about the information and communications technology system (SCOTS), which the Office shares with the Scottish Government, as well as compatible devices that will help reduce the carbon footprint of the office.
	The Scottish Government are complying with the same standards as those set out in the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Departmental Publications

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who authored the Scotland Office Background Paper, Scotland and oil, published 18 June 2009; when the Paper was commissioned; what background papers the Scotland Office has published since May 1997; who was consulted in the production of the Paper; what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) producing and  (b) printing the Paper; and what steps his Department took to publicise the Paper.

Jim Murphy: The paper was produced by the Scotland Office to provide a factual analysis of the position to help inform debate. It was prepared over the course of 2009, in consultation with other relevant Government Departments.
	As the paper was part of the ongoing work of the Scotland Office, there were no additional costs involved. It was made available on the Scotland Office website.
	Similar papers may be published in the future, as appropriate, but have not been hitherto.

TRANSPORT

Air Misses

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many air proximity hazards have been reported to the Civil Aviation Authority's UK Airprox Board in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Airprox events for the years from 1997 to 2008 are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of Airprox events 
			 1997 208 
			 1998 201 
			 1999 208 
			 2000 198 
			 2001 195 
			 2002 221 
			 2003 181 
			 2004 207 
			 2005 188 
			 2006 159 
			 2007 154 
			 2008 155

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to require cabin air quality monitoring systems to be installed on passenger aircraft.

Paul Clark: holding answer 14 July 2009
	UK passengers travel on a range of global airlines. Within Europe, we suggest that any mandatory system to be fitted to commercial passenger aircraft would have to be required and approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency, on the basis of evidence that it was necessary and fit for purpose i.e. capable of detecting any specific items of concern in the circumstances where these might occur. In the UK we are conducting research to ascertain what substances are in cabin air, and at what concentrations, both in normal circumstances and during occasional "fume events". When we have obtained and assessed this information, it may be appropriate for the UK to recommend some kind of detection systems.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what procedures are used to quantify and investigate instances of air contamination on board commercial aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 14 July 2009
	The principal procedure is the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting scheme which the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) established in 1976. Its objectives are to ensure that the CAA is advised of any hazardous, or potentially hazardous, incidents and defects (occurrences), and that appropriate action is taken. All reports are disseminated to the relevant specialists in CAA. The Head of the Aviation Health Unit will see any where health effects are reported.
	Should an individual wish to bypass his employer in reporting an incident, a separate procedure exists whereby details can be sent to the Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the responsibilities of  (a) his Department,  (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and  (c) the Health and Safety Executive are in relation to the health of persons on board commercial aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 14 July 2009
	The functions of the Secretary of State for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with respect to health are set out in section 8 of the Civil Aviation Act 2006.
	S8 (2) amends the functions of the Secretary of State in the Civil Aviation Act 1982 to include a "general duty of organising, carrying out and encouraging measures for safeguarding the health of persons on board aircraft".
	S8 (3) amends the functions of the CAA to include the "health of persons on board aircraft".
	S8 (4) requires the CAA to provide assistance to the Secretary of State in relation to the function.
	The CAA established the Aviation Health Unit in 2003 as a centre of expertise on aviation health matters. It provides advice to the UK Government and other stakeholders; and suggests and oversees research on relevant aviation medical issues.
	Separately, the CAA has specific health and safety regulatory responsibilities under the Civil Aviation (Working Time) Regulations 2004 for crew members (flight and cabin crew) of UK public transport aircraft. The Regulations require employers to ensure that each crew member is provided with adequate health and safety protection and prevention services or facilities appropriate to the nature of his employment.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the enforcement of health and safety legislation in Great Britain and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) applies within British air space. A memorandum of understanding exists between the CAA and the HSE to reduce regulatory duplication of effort. Similar arrangements exist for Northern Ireland.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with  (a) Lord Turner of Ecchinswell and  (b) other members of the Committee on Climate Change on the effect on lifeline flights of proposed targets for aviation emissions;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Committee on Climate Change on the effect on plans to expand Heathrow Airport of the proposed aviation emissions targets.

Paul Clark: The Committee on Climate Change will provide independent advice to the Government by December 2009 this year on the 2050 UK aviation carbon dioxide emissions target. The Committee is currently undertaking analysis of a range of factors that might contribute to meeting the target. The Department for Transport meets from time to time with the Committee on Climate Change at ministerial and official level in order to provide information in support of the Committee's analytical work on the 2050 target.
	No discussions have taken place with the Committee on the effects of the target on specific aviation policy initiatives. The Government will develop their approach to achieving the target once they have received the Committee's advice.

Departmental Information

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to his Department of press office staff other than press officers has been in each year since 1997.

Chris Mole: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which Minister approved the 2009 pay remit for his central Department; on what date that remit was  (a) sent to that Minister,  (b) approved by the Minister and  (c) sent to HM Treasury.

Chris Mole: The Secretary of State for Transport approved the final version of the 2009 remit of the central Department on 3 June 2009 having been sent to the Minister that day. The final remit was submitted to HM Treasury on 4 June 2009.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the job titles are of the senior managers who approved the 2009 pay remit for his central Department; and on what date  (a) that remit was sent to and  (b) approved by those managers.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport (DfT) (C) Executive Committee discussed the pay remit for DfT (C) at its meeting on 28 April 2009.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Alistair Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many applications for vehicle excise duty refunds from  (a) private owners and  (b) motor dealerships have been processed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each month since January 2008; and what the monetary value was of the refunds made in each such month.

Paul Clark: The following table provides the total number and value of vehicle excise duty refunds processed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) since January 2008. Separate figures are not available for private owners and motor dealerships. However, since January 2009 only the current or previous registered keeper would receive a refund of vehicle excise duty and then only after informing the DVLA why the vehicle no longer requires a valid tax disc:
	
		
			  Month  Volume  Value (£000) 
			 January 2008 314,491 19,011 
			 February 2008 302,928 21,383 
			 March 2008 272,720 17,447 
			 April 2008 393,654 24,724 
			 May 2008 301,969 22,010 
			 June 2008 336,389 21,281 
			 July 2008 321,566 22,322 
			 August 2008 290,476 20,329 
			 September 2008 306,270 20,031 
			 October 2008 355,190 26,895 
			 November 2008 313,229 23,223 
			 December 2008 234,214 18,330 
			 January 2009 235,022 17,262 
			 February 2009 195,601 11,688 
			 March 2009 191,752 16,579 
			 April 2009 274,613 16,216 
			 May 2009 183,451 14,721 
			 June 2009 270,709 17,704

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has for levels of staff recruitment to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is committed to efficiency and will continue to critically assess that to reflect the economic situation and customer need, including contributing fully to future public spending rounds. We anticipate that it is likely that there will continue to be turnover, for example in a number of specialist vacancies such as Accountants and Procurement Specialists that will need to be recruited. Fixed term and temporary appointments are also used to manage fluctuating business demands.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department will allocate to rail franchises in revenue support in financial year 2009-10.

Chris Mole: holding answer 14 July 2009
	The Department for Transport maintains financial forecasts of anticipated revenue support payable to Train Operating Companies. However, this information is commercially confidential and market sensitive.

Shipping

Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidents of ships losing hazardous cargo overboard resulted in  (a) court actions and  (b) fines since 1979; and what the (i) nature of the conviction and (ii) financial penalty was in each case.

Paul Clark: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has recorded this information centrally since 2001. There have been no court actions or fines against ship owners for losing hazardous cargo overboard since then.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles were recorded in England in each year since 1997.

Dan Norris: The numbers of abandoned vehicles reported by local authorities in England to DEFRA between 2000-01 and 2003-04 in the Municipal Waste Management Survey, and from 2004-05 onwards via WasteDataFlow, are available on the DEFRA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/wrabanvehicles.htm
	National figures prior to 2000-01 were not collected by DEFRA.

Circuses: Animal Welfare

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the report of the Circus Working Group on the future use of wild animals in travelling circuses will be published.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The report of the Circus Working Group on wild animal acts in travelling circuses was released on 20 November 2007.
	Following the publication of that report, which found that there was no existing evidence that justified banning wild animal acts in circuses, DEFRA launched a feasibility study to look at the possibility of regulating the use of such animals in circuses.
	The feasibility study is due to report later this year.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) provides Internet Explorer 7 to staff via our internal office system.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the Waste Improvement Network has provided to local authorities on the procurement of containers for the collection of household waste.

Dan Norris: The Waste Improvement Network (WIN) exists to share information between councils and publish guidance from all available sources in one place on waste management issues. It does not issue advice directly to councils. However, WIN promotes existing framework contracts which can be used to procure bins, and provides links to general information, guidance, advice and case studies from available sources on both procurement and waste collection strategy.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will direct the Bird Management Unit of the Food and Environment Research Agency to conduct research into the effect on the prevalence of  (a) vermin and  (b) insects of different modes of collection of household waste.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA currently has no plans to commission research into the effect on the prevalence of 'vermin' or insects of different modes of collection of household waste.

Horses: Artificial Insemination

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 324W, on horses: artificial insemination, how many semen straws from the Hanoverian stallion Weltmeyer, reference 31-44035-84, have been imported into the UK since January 1989.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Landfill: Carbon Emissions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of carbon dioxide emissions arising from landfill activities in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	According to the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, landfill activities accounted for 3.2 per cent. of UK total emissions in 2007. This is from methane and corresponds to 41.5 per cent. of UK total methane emissions in 2007. The UK agrees with the assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the proportion of carbon dioxide in landfill gas is about 50 per cent. The UK does not separately estimate emissions of carbon dioxide from landfills because to do so would be to double count with carbon stock changes estimated in the land-use, land-use change and forestry sector. This is in accordance with the international guidelines for reporting greenhouse gases to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mobile Phones

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) mobile telephones and  (b) printer cartridges which were (i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the waste stream in each year since 1997; what research his Department has (A) commissioned and (B) evaluated on the disposal of mobile telephones and printer cartridges in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: Information on the number of mobile phones and printer cartridges recycled, reused or disposed of is not collected centrally. The Department has not commissioned research into the disposal of these items. We have, however, published guidance on the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment which includes mobile phones and printers, which is available on DEFRA's website.

Pollution: Fines

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been levied in fines by local authorities against  (a) companies,  (b) local authorities and  (c) individuals for each type of pollution incident in each region in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Details of fines levied by local authorities against companies, local authorities and individuals for pollution incidents are not held centrally and can be sourced only at disproportionate cost.

Primates

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislation to prohibit the keeping of primates as pets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the keeping of primates as pets because we are not aware of any evidence to suggest that there is a widespread problem to warrant such action.
	However, the Government accept that primates are complex creatures that require specialist care. As a result of concerns raised in Parliament, the Government are working with a number of stakeholders on the production of a code of practice on the welfare of privately kept primates.

Sustainable Development Commission

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria were used to select the new Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission; and what the remuneration is for that post in 2009-10.

Dan Norris: As the sponsoring Department for the Sustainable Development Commission, DEFRA, on behalf of the Cabinet Office, managed the appointment of the new chair of the Sustainable Development Commission. The process was managed in line with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) guidelines.
	Candidates were required to demonstrate the full range of criteria outlined in the information pack for the post (see OCPA Guidelines Annex A).
	All devolved Administrations and the Prime Minister approved the recommended appointment. Remuneration for the SDC chair is £400 per diem. The time input for the position is two to three days per week subject to negotiation.

Veterinary Medicines Agency: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administrative staff in the Veterinary Medicines Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is an Executive agency of DEFRA and follows DEFRA's pay agreements for staff outside the senior civil service. Non-consolidated performance payments for directors are paid under the senior civil service pay agreement and the payments for the chief executive is part of his contract of employment. The VMD's other staff are eligible for non-consolidated performance payments under the DEFRA scheme. Many of VMD's staff straddle the categories requested so it has not been possible to break down the total annual payments for these staff which are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 CEO and directors (1)0 19,047 19,674 20,405 29,803 
			 Other staff (2)- 71,767 80,800 70,828 51,725 
			 Total 0 90,814 100,474 91,233 81,528 
			 (1) The CEO's non-consolidated performance payments for 2003-04 and 2004-05 were paid in 2005-06. (2) The VMD is unable to identify payments paid as a separate component of gross salary before 2005-06 as this information was not available from the previous payroll bureau.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements arising from EU legislation there are in respect of  (a) charges for businesses and local authorities disposed of waste in landfill sites,  (b) the provision of receptacles for the disposal of household waste and  (c) the frequency of waste collections.

Dan Norris: The requirements from EU obligations in respect of charges on businesses or local authorities to dispose of waste in landfill sites relate to two directives:
	The European Waste Framework Directive which provides that in accordance with the 'polluter pays principle' the cost of disposing of waste must be borne by the holder or previous holder, or the producer of the product giving rise to of the waste, or the collector or disposer of the waste.
	The Landfill Directive which seeks to ensure measures are taken that all the costs of setting up and operating a landfill site, including the cost of any financial security and the costs of closure and aftercare for a period of at least 30 years, are covered in the price to be charged by the operator for the disposal of waste at a landfill site.
	There are no requirements arising from EU obligations in respect of either the receptacles for the disposal of household waste or the frequency of collections. These are rightly matters for local authorities to determine to suit local circumstances, taking into account the views of residents in the area.

Weed Control

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on controlling weeds.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has policy responsibility for the five injurious weeds covered by the Weeds Act 1959 (Common Ragwort, Creeping or Field Thistle and Spear Thistle and Curled and Broad Leaved Dock) and also for invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and water primrose.
	We have not issued any specific guidance to local authorities on controlling the weeds covered by the Weeds Act 1959. However, the Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort provides comprehensive guidance on how to develop a strategic and cost-effective approach to control of common ragwort. It is intended for use by all landowners and occupiers but is particularly relevant for large-scale organisations managing significant land areas, including local authorities and other public bodies. The code of practice and other information about the control of injurious weeds is available on the DEFRA website.
	Advice on the management of invasive non-native weeds is available from a number of sources including the websites of the Environment Agency and the Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat. In addition, DEFRA published the Horticultural Code of Practice in 2005, which provides best practice advice concerning the acquisition, use and disposal of plants.

WALES

Holtham Commission

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence his Department has given to the Holtham Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Treasury provided evidence to the Holtham Commission and last week I met with Gerald Holtham to discuss the outcomes of the Commission's work.

Crime Levels

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely effect of proposals contained in the Building Britain's Future document on the level of criminal activity in Wales.

Wayne David: Building Britain's Future, our strategic plan to build a more prosperous, stronger and fairer country contains enforceable entitlements that will help to reduce the level of criminal activity in Wales, such as:
	a right to police on the beat, with community teams spending 80 per cent. of their time on foot patrol;
	a right to monthly beat meetings, where local policing priorities are agreed; and
	a right to minimum response times.

Crime Prevention

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on crime prevention programmes in Wales.

Wayne David: My right hon. Friend and I have regular meetings with Home Office Ministers on a range of issues including crime prevention programmes.
	A great deal of solid and focused work has been undertaken around Wales to address key crime issues over the last year, with great success.

Rail Service: Aberystwyth-London

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers and ministerial colleagues on proposals for the introduction of a direct rail service between Aberystwyth and London.

Wayne David: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular meetings with Welsh Assembly Government and ministerial colleagues to discuss matters relating to Wales, including transport issues.
	I would like to pay tribute to the work of the hon. Gentleman in his campaigning to raise the profile of this proposed rail service. There is a strong demand for increased rail services in Wales, and a further rail service to London would be most welcome not only to rail users but also local businesses, by encouraging even more visitors to Wales.

Holiday Lettings

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implications for Wales of the decision to repeal rules on furnished holiday lettings.

Peter Hain: The Treasury's decision to repeal the Furnished Holiday Lettings Scheme in 2010 is based upon advice it received that by treating landlords of furnished holiday accommodation differently to other landlords in the UK, and across the rest of the European Economic Area, it may be in breach of European Law. The change will put landlords of holiday homes on an equal footing with other landlords and brings the UK regulations in line with those elsewhere in the wider European Economic Area.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his assessment is of the effect of the recession on levels of public expenditure per capita in Wales.

Peter Hain: Figures on identifiable public spending per head in Wales were published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (Cm 7630) in June 2009. Public expenditure for the Welsh Assembly Government was set in the 2007 Spending Review. Wales, along with other parts of the UK, received a fiscal stimulus in the pre-Budget report and Budget in response to the recession.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the maximum fine was imposed on a licensee for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to people under-age in each of the last two years.

Alan Campbell: There have been no prosecutions under s147A of the Licensing Act 2003 in the last two years for which data are available (2006 and 2007). Therefore no individuals have been recorded as receiving the maximum fine for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to people underage. Data from 2008 will be available in autumn 2009.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much was collected in fines levied upon retail store licensees for serving alcohol to minors in each local authority area within the ceremonial county of Hampshire in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was collected against fines levied upon public house licensees for serving alcohol to minors in each local authority area within the ceremonial county of Hampshire in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: It is not possible to differentiate between fines given to retailers and those given to licensees of public houses. Additionally, data on the collection of fines for specific offences are not held, therefore the answer given in table 1 shows the sum of all fines imposed for offences relating to the sale of alcohol to under 18's. The actual amount collected, and the status of the defendant is not known.
	
		
			  Fines issued in Hampshire police force area for selling alcohol to under 18's 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 on the premises  
			 Number of fines issued 0 6 7 0 0 
			 Sum of fines imposed (£) - 1,740 1,800 - - 
			   
			  Sale of alcohol to person under 18  
			 Number of fines issued 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Sum of fines imposed (£) - - - - 1,690 
			  Note: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Asylum

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make a decision on the case of Mr. Davit Khutcichvili, Ref. no. K1100834.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 8 July 2009.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in receipt of section 4 support have been receiving it for a period longer than  (a) six months,  (b) one year,  (c) two years,  (d) five years and  (e) 10 years.

Phil Woolas: As at 14 June 2009 9,354 people, excluding dependants, are recorded as having been on section 4 support for over six months, of whom 7,598 had been on section 4 support for over one year and 5,106 for over two years. These figures are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information. They are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	Information is not available on the number of persons on section 4 support for over five years and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. No person has been on section 4 support for over 10 years as this support for failed asylum seekers became effective from 7 November 2002.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) local authorities and  (b) police forces on the use of automated number plate recognition systems to detect parking offences.

David Hanson: Neither the Home Office nor the National Policing Improvement Agency has issued guidance to  (a) local authorities or  (b) police forces on the use of automatic number plate recognition systems (ANPR) to detect parking offences.
	Following the Road Traffic Act (1991), the majority of parking enforcement is not dealt with by the police. The police operated national ANPR system is not used for parking enforcement.

British Citizenship

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-UK born people have been given British citizenship in each of the last three years; and from which countries such people originated.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not in the public domain in the required format.
	Information based upon the previous nationality of those granted British Citizenship is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Grants of British citizenship in the United Kingdom in 2006, 2007 and 2008(P) by previous nationality 
			  Number of persons 
			  Previous nationality  2006  2007  2008 
			  European Economic Area
			 Austria 25 50 35 
			 Belgium 75 40 35 
			 Bulgaria 625 1,115 795 
			 Cyprus 105 40 30 
			 Czech Republic 95 80 40 
			 Denmark 25 65 30 
			 Estonia 60 65 20 
			 Finland 30 40 30 
			 France 340 480 370 
			 Germany 260 370 300 
			 Greece 150 285 225 
			 Hungary 110 95 55 
			 Ireland 115 140 95 
			 Italy 260 345 240 
			 Latvia 90 85 30 
			 Liechtenstein - 5 * 
			 Lithuania 215 170 65 
			 Luxembourg 5 † * 
			 Malta 45 30 20 
			 Netherlands 115 200 130 
			 Norway 30 25 15 
			 Poland 580 560 250 
			 Portugal 535 520 405 
			 Romania 600 540 385 
			 Slovakia 155 125 55 
			 Slovenia 10 10 5 
			 Spain 170 185 125 
			 Sweden 55 105 85 
			 Total European Economic Area 3,665 5,785 3,885 
			 
			  Remainder of Europe
			 Albania 885 1,115 930 
			 Armenia 110 140 70 
			 Azerbaijan 130 215 160 
			 Belarus 170 175 155 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina 230 195 110 
			 Croatia 605 375 165 
			 Cyprus (Northern part of) 390 130 85 
			 Georgia 175 155 110 
			 Kazakhstan 95 120 80 
			 Kyrgyzstan 45 65 45 
			 Macedonia 135 215 140 
			 Moldova 90 130 100 
			 Russia 1,830 1,885 1,380 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 7,550 3,485 1,865 
			 Switzerland 95 70 45 
			 Tajikistan 10 5 10 
			 Turkey 5,590 4,710 4,640 
			 Turkmenistan 10 25 20 
			 Ukraine 865 1,220 705 
			 Uzbekistan 60 90 60 
			 Total Remainder of Europe 20,305 14,515 10,875 
			 
			  Americas
			 Antigua and Barbuda 15 20 15 
			 Argentina 120 125 120 
			 Bahamas 15 10 15 
			 Barbados 145 105 85 
			 Belize 15 20 15 
			 Bolivia 70 75 65 
			 Brazil 540 610 605 
			 Canada 1,325 1,140 815 
			 Chile 100 90 90 
			 Colombia 1,580 1,845 1,115 
			 Costa Rica 15 10 10 
			 Cuba 90 90 80 
			 Dominica 50 35 45 
			 Dominican Republic 35 20 35 
			 Ecuador 955 745 580 
			 El Salvador 10 5 15 
			 Grenada 65 70 60 
			 Guatemala 5 20 15 
			 Guyana 240 240 210 
			 Haiti 5 5 5 
			 Honduras 10 5 10 
			 Jamaica 2,525 3,165 2,715 
			 Mexico 145 135 115 
			 Netherlands Antilles - - * 
			 Nicaragua 5 5 10 
			 Panama 10 10 25 
			 Paraguay 5 † 5 
			 Peru 130 220 170 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis 10 10 5 
			 St. Lucia 85 125 140 
			 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 55 130 135 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 490 480 380 
			 United States of America 3,020 2,785 2,205 
			 Uruguay 25 10 10 
			 Venezuela 105 155 120 
			 Total Americas 12,015 12,530 10,050 
			 
			  Africa
			 Algeria 1,015 1,170 955 
			 Angola 945 1,200 1,070 
			 Benin 15 15 10 
			 Botswana 25 25 20 
			 Burkina Faso 10 5 10 
			 Burundi 425 680 520 
			 Cameroon 395 535 420 
			 Cape Verde † † * 
			 Central African Republic 5 † * 
			 Chad 50 30 25 
			 Comoros † † 5 
			 Congo 550 470 280 
			 Congo Democratic Republic 1,910 2,100 1,575 
			 Djibouti 10 10 10 
			 Egypt 595 730 485 
			 Equatorial Guinea † 5 10 
			 Eritrea 705 915 660 
			 Ethiopia 670 865 485 
			 Gabon 5 10 5 
			 Gambia 315 410 395 
			 Ghana 2,990 3,375 3,135 
			 Guinea 35 75 95 
			 Guinea-Bissau 5 15 5 
			 Ivory Coast 395 450 370 
			 Kenya 2,380 2,235 1,405 
			 Lesotho 10 15 10 
			 Liberia 170 245 195 
			 Libya 460 405 385 
			 Madagascar 5 5 10 
			 Malawi 130 165 175 
			 Mali 5 5 * 
			 Mauritania 5 15 5 
			 Mauritius 640 905 650 
			 Morocco 495 510 500 
			 Mozambique 20 15 10 
			 Namibia 25 30 20 
			 Niger 15 5 * 
			 Nigeria 5,875 6,030 4,530 
			 Rwanda 565 745 405 
			 Senegal 25 35 30 
			 Seychelles 70 75 55 
			 Sierra Leone 1,660 2,195 1,270 
			 Somalia 9,050 7,450 7,165 
			 South Africa 7,670 8,150 5,265 
			 Sudan 965 735 570 
			 Swaziland 5 20 10 
			 Tanzania 675 530 410 
			 Togo 120 105 60 
			 Tunisia 130 185 150 
			 Uganda 1,100 1,210 910 
			 Western Sahara † - * 
			 Zambia 400 555 460 
			 Zimbabwe 2,545 5,590 5,710 
			 Total Africa 46,280 51,255 40,910 
			 
			  Indian sub-continent
			 Bangladesh 3,725 2,250 3,635 
			 India 15,125 14,490 11,825 
			 Pakistan 10,260 8,140 9,440 
			 Total Indian sub-continent 29,110 24,885 24,900 
			 
			  Middle East
			 Bahrain 15 15 10 
			 Iran 3,285 4,425 2,200 
			 Iraq 4,125 5,480 8,895 
			 Israel 570 540 350 
			 Jordan 320 310 175 
			 Kuwait 70 25 40 
			 Lebanon 515 625 320 
			 Oman 5 5 5 
			 Palestine 340 425 280 
			 Saudi Arabia 60 75 30 
			 Syria 390 330 230 
			 United Arab Emirates 20 25 10 
			 Yemen 520 400 335 
			 Total Middle East 10,240 12,685 12,880 
			 
			  Remainder of Asia
			 Afghanistan 3,400 10,555 5,540 
			 Bhutan 20 35 30 
			 Brunei 10 10 5 
			 Cambodia 15 25 15 
			 China 2,785 3,345 2,860 
			 Hong Kong SAR of China (Holder of Certificate of Identity or Document of Identity) 10 10 10 
			 Hong Kong SAR of China (Holder of Special Administrative Region Passport) 85 100 105 
			 Indonesia 170 170 115 
			 Japan 180 135 110 
			 Korea (North) 5 † * 
			 Korea (South) 300 575 410 
			 Laos 10 5 10 
			 Malaysia 560 635 590 
			 Maldives 5 5 5 
			 Mongolia 45 65 70 
			 Myanmar (Burma) 145 180 145 
			 Nepal 915 1,045 930 
			 Philippines 8,840 10,840 5,380 
			 Singapore 95 120 120 
			 Sri Lanka 5,720 6,495 3,285 
			 Thailand 785 985 1,070 
			 Vietnam 190 305 290 
			 Total Remainder of Asia 24,295 35,640 21,085 
			 
			  Oceania
			 American Samoa † † * 
			 Australia 3,380 2,835 1,990 
			 Fiji 25 65 80 
			 Nauru 5 † * 
			 New Zealand 1,565 1,355 980 
			 Papua New Guinea 5 5 * 
			 Samoa † † * 
			 Tonga † 10 10 
			 Total Oceania 4,980 4,285 3,060 
			 
			  Other
			 British overseas territories citizen (1) 470 820 330 
			 British Nationals (Overseas) 545 680 540 
			 British Overseas citizen 1,545 1,100 570 
			 British protected persons 160 100 50 
			 British subjects 190 150 60 
			 Nationality Currently Unknown 10 15 5 
			 Nationality Unknown Officially Designated as Stateless 50 30 20 
			 Stateless-Defined 1954 Convention 100 45 70 
			 Stateless Refugee-Defined 1951 Convention 15 5 5 
			 Stateless refugee-Other 40 15 10 
			 Total Other 3,130 2,965 1,660 
			 
			  Grand Total 154,015 164,540 129,310 
			 (1) Excluding Gibraltar BOTCs. 
		
	
	The information has been provided with reference to the published statistics.

British Nationality

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have  (a) been prevented from entering the UK,  (b) been deported from the UK and  (c) had their British citizenship revoked under the UK Border Agency's powers to exclude those who promote violent extremism and stir up hatred.

Phil Woolas: The Government's unacceptable behaviours policy is directed at those who advocate hatred or violence in support of their beliefs. Since the introduction of the policy in August 2005, there have been  (a) 106 exclusions,  (b) one deportation and  (c) no deprivations of citizenship on unacceptable behaviour grounds.

Cannabis: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many seizures of cannabis were made by the police in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  N umber of police seizures of cannabis in Suffolk police force area, 2003 to 2007-08( 1) 
			   Number of Cannabis seizures 
			 2003 660 
			 2004(2) 1,080 
			 2005(3) 1,181 
			 2006-07 1,022 
			 2007-08 947 
			 (1 )The drugs seizures collection was changed from a calendar year basis to a financial year basis from 2006-07 onwards. (2 )Increases in cannabis seizures in 2004 and 2005 are thought to be associated with the introduction of cannabis warnings on 1 April 2004. (3 )2005 figures onwards are unrounded; previous years rounded.

Citizenship: Gurkhas

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Gurkhas have  (a) applied for,  (b) been granted and  (c) been refused British citizenship in each of the last 15 years.

Phil Woolas: UKBA does not capture information relating to the employment of individual applicants electronically. We can not therefore provide information on the numbers of Gurkhas or former Gurkhas who have naturalised in the past 15 years as a British citizen. The information requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records of all Nepalese nationals who had applied for British citizenship in the past 15 years only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes committed by  (a) males and  (b) females aged between 10 and 17 years were recorded in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally. From the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office it is not possible to identify the age or sex of the alleged offender.
	The Ministry of Justice collects information on the number of persons proceeded against and convicted by age and sex.

Crimes of Violence: West Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded as occurring in West Suffolk constituency in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Information for the West Suffolk constituency is not available centrally. West Suffolk comes within the Forest Heath crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) area and figures for this CDRP are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences of violence against the person recorded in Forest Heath 
			   Number of offences 
			 2003-04 856 
			 2004-05 809 
			 2005-06 798 
			 2006-07 1,072 
			 2007-08 1,133

Criminal Records Bureau

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much on average it cost the Criminal Records Bureau to process a  (a) standard and  (b) enhanced check in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is an Executive agency of the Home Office and issues higher level disclosures (both standard and enhanced) for employment and licensing purposes, as provided for in part V of the Police Act 1997. The CRB has been self-funding since 2006.
	Fees have been frozen at the 2006-07 level, meaning the cost of a disclosure has not increased since April 2006. This has been achieved as a direct result of year on year internal efficiency savings and year on year increases in demand.
	Approximately 20 per cent. of applications are from volunteers and disclosures for volunteers continue to be processed free of charge. This has resulted in a considerable saving for the voluntary sector.
	As the CRB is self-funding, the processing costs for all the volunteer applications, processed free of charge, needs to be recovered through the fee paid by other applicants; consequently, the fee must be set higher than the unit cost.
	The unit cost of a standard and an enhanced disclosure is the average cost to the CRB of producing one disclosure, irrespective of whether the disclosure is paid for. The following table shows the unit costs in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Standard disclosure  Enhanced disclosure 
			 2004-05 22.73 28.09 
			 2005-06 19.94 26.86 
			 2006-07 18.34 24.30 
			 2007-08 24.34 33.29 
			 2008-09 25.18 35.21

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) private meetings and  (b) public engagements Ministers in his Department have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) electricity and  (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's estate and (ii) by his Department's agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: Central Government Departments and their Executive agencies report performance data on their energy consumption from their offices annually as part of the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reporting process.
	For the properties that we collect data and report on, the electricity and gas use is as follows:
	
		
			   kWh  2005-06 (Baseline)  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Core(1) Electricity 48,715,675 49,986,978 46,319,546 
			  Gas 21,020,944 20,731,269 15,863,319 
			  
			 Agency(2) Electricity 3,340,052 3,765,290 3,505,445 
			  Gas 3,415,074 3,210,571 2,808,985 
			  
			 Total Electricity 52,055,727 53,752,268 49,824,991 
			  Gas 24,436,018 23,941,840 18,672,304 
			 (1) Core includes Home Office, UKBA and Home Office Scientific Development Branch. (2) Agency includes Identity and Passport Service.

Departmental Responsibilities

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Ministers with responsibility for victims of crime in England and Wales there have been in his Department since 1997.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 13 July 2009
	 There were in total seven Ministers in the Home Office with responsibility for victims of crime in England and Wales between the Government coming to power in 1997 and the creation of the Ministry of Justice in 2007. Ministry of Justice Ministers now have overall responsibility for victims of crime.

Deportation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on discussing planned deportations with representatives of the government of the destination country based  (a) in the UK and  (b) in that country.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 30 June 2009
	The UK Border Agency works in close partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on return of individuals who do not have a right to remain in the UK, including those who are subject to deportation. The FCO leads in liaison with foreign missions in the UK, and through the FCO network of UK missions overseas, to work with the authorities in the country of destination. This includes both establishing overall agreements on returns policy with the receiving country and liaison on specific cases.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 359W, on DNA: databases, how many children aged under 10 years have had DNA samples taken with the consent of a parent or guardian in the last 12 months; and for how long on average such samples were retained.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 8 June 2009
	A DNA sample may only be taken from a child under 10 with the consent of a parent or guardian. Such samples are taken from children aged under 10 for elimination purposes to assist in the investigation of an offence e.g. from children who are the victim of a crime or who had legitimate access to a crime scene. These samples are then destroyed and not put on the actual database. Information on the number of such samples taken and the average length of time for which they were retained is not held centrally.
	The DNA profiles of all children aged under 10 taken by England and Wales police forces have been removed from the National DNA Database, and the database is monitored to ensure that this remains the case.

Drugs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been sentenced to immediate custody for possession of  (a) cannabis and  (b) ecstasy in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	The requested information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number of immediate custodial sentences imposed for possession of cannabis or MDMA, 1997-2007 
			   Possession of MDMA  Possession of MDMA with intent to supply  Possession of cannabis  Possession of cannabis with intent to supply 
			 1997 62 410 268 1,129 
			 1998 51 217 410 1,284 
			 1999 69 338 451 1,112 
			 2000 108 520 361 808 
			 2001 151 690 290 618 
			 2002 100 578 241 547 
			 2003 81 461 288 475 
			 2004 60 394 161 420 
			 2005 61 342 136 272 
			 2006 62 256 141 240 
			 2007 70 276 162 232 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Entry Clearances

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of appeals against refusal of a family visit visa from  (a) India,  (b) Nigeria,  (c) Bangladesh and  (d) Pakistan have been dismissed in the last six years.

Phil Woolas: The number of appeals against the refusal of applications for family visit visas at visa-issuing posts in India, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan that were  (a) received and  (b) dismissed in each of the last five calendar years is shown in the following tables. Reliable data is not held for years prior to 2004.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006 
			   Appeal  d ecisions  Dismissed  Dismissed (%)  Appeal  d ecisions  Dismissed  Dismissed (%)  Appeal  d ecisions  Dismissed  Dismissed (%) 
			 Bangladesh 350 119 34 719 275 38 2,027 956 47 
			 India 3,690 1,380 37 3,321 986 30 8,153 2,956 36 
			 Nigeria 1,506 563 37 3,101 1,442 47 4,147 1,846 45 
			 Pakistan 430 90 21 2,832 678 24 11,889 5,473 46 
		
	
	
		
			   2007  2008 
			   Appeal  d ecisions  Dismissed  Dismissed (%)  Appeal  d ecisions  Dismissed  Dismissed (%) 
			 Bangladesh 3,146 1,557 49 4,450 2,128 48 
			 India 9,427 4,657 49 8,841 4,198 47 
			 Nigeria 8,703 6,090 70 8,740 7,149 82 
			 Pakistan 14,646 7,994 55 17,230 8,783 51 
		
	
	Information is unpublished and treated as provisional.

Entry Clearances

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for residence permits by the spouses or partners of EU citizens have been awaiting a decision for more than six months.

Phil Woolas: Information relating to the number of applications for residence permits from the spouses and partners of EU nationals are in the same category as other family members and is not recorded separately and therefore is not readily available.

Essex Police Authority: Absenteeism

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rate of  (a) absence and  (b) absence resulting from injury at work was among Essex Police Authority employees in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such absences; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Figures for staff employed by Essex police authority are not collected centrally.
	This is a matter for Essex county council and the chief constable of the police force.

Forensic Science: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violent crime requiring forensic science capabilities there have been in the police force areas covering  (a) Lancashire,  (b) Merseyside,  (c) Cumbria,  (d) North Wales,  (e) Greater Manchester and  (f) Cheshire in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 29 June 2009
	The table gives details of the number of violent crimes which had a crime scene examination and the number of crimes at which potential DNA material, finger marks and footwear marks were collected in each of the years from 2004-05 to 2007-08 for the police forces referred to. Figures for the 2008-09 financial year will be available shortly.
	It should be noted that in crimes where potential forensic material is collected, only a proportion of the forensic material collected is submitted to a forensic laboratory for analysis. The proportion varies for DNA material, finger marks and footwear marks.
	The information provided is from police force data collected by the Home Office on forensic activity and related detections. The data cover DNA, finger mark and footwear mark activity. These data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications.
	
		
			  Violent crime( 1) 
			   Cheshire  Cumbria  Greater Manchester  Lancashire  Merseyside  North Wales  Total 
			  2004-05
			 Crimes which have a crime scene examination 571 169 2,392 831 478 480 4,921 
			 Crimes where potential DNA material collected 210 112 863 223 319 201 1928 
			 Crimes where potential fingerprints collected 119 52 1,143 140 229 107 1790 
			 Crimes where potential footwear marks collected 35 20 150 73 58 40 376 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Crimes which have a crime scene examination 383 336 2,014 992 704 191 4,620 
			 Crimes where potential DNA material collected 166 75 758 200 396 134 1729 
			 Crimes where potential fingerprints collected 77 49 592 134 254 80 1186 
			 Crimes where potential footwear marks collected 35 12 138 88 57 49 379 
			 
			  2006-07
			 Crimes which have a crime scene examination 1,072 394 1,574 1,091 1,018 156 5,305 
			 Crimes where potential DNA material collected 196 110 724 278 537 100 1945 
			 Crimes where potential fingerprints collected 116 62 635 186 289 70 1358 
			 Crimes where potential footwear marks collected 45 27 505 101 73 56 807 
			 
			  2007-08
			 Crimes which have a crime scene examination 849 312 1,443 919 1,063 122 4708 
			 Crimes where potential DNA material collected 174 117 714 264 580 82 1931 
			 Crimes where potential fingerprints collected 60 50 666 171 316 57 1320 
			 Crimes where potential footwear marks collected 37 32 317 96 61 45 588 
			 (1) 'Violent crime' covers all violence against the person offences.

G20: Protest

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to take steps in response to the report by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary on the G20 protests; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government welcome the interim report by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary on the G20 protests and will be working closely with the police to ensure the conclusions and recommendations are properly addressed, and co-ordinated with the recommendations coming out of other reviews into the policing of the G20 summit and the policing of protest by the Home Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Human Trafficking: Babies

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of legislation on the trafficking of babies into the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Following discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service we have introduced a clause in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill to amend Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004.
	This amendment will allow for the prosecution, under trafficking legislation, of those who bring small children or vulnerable adults into the country for the purpose of obtaining benefits, and where the role of the child or vulnerable adult is entirely passive.

Human Trafficking: Convictions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 192W, on human trafficking, how many people from each country were  (a) arrested for and  (b) convicted of human trafficking offences in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The numbers of arrests and convictions for human trafficking broken down by country of origin is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Arrests  Convictions 
			 United Kingdom 68 9 
			 Nigeria 6 0 
			 Somalia 2 0 
			 Romania 36 5 
			 Poland 16 3 
			 Spain 1 1 
			 Lithuania 31 6 
			 Latvia 4 1 
			 Bulgaria 7 2 
			 Cameroon 2 0 
			 Kosovo 22 10 
			 Turkey 4 2 
			 Thailand 27 8 
			 Malaysia 12 1 
			 Pakistan 9 1 
			 Albania 25 21 
			 Hungary 19 1 
			 Moldova 5 1 
			 Vietnam 6 2 
			 Slovakia 17 3 
			 Congo 3 0 
			 Brazil 1 1 
			 China 57 11 
			 Ukraine 2 1 
			 Czech Republic 40 8 
			 Portugal 2 0 
			 Serbia 4 4 
			 Germany 4 1 
			 Philippines 2 1 
			 Macedonia 4 2 
			 Greece 1 1 
			 Bangladesh 10 1 
			 South Africa 1 1 
			 Malta 2 1

Illegal Immigrants: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements his Department has made with the French Government to fly back to their country of origin potential illegal entrants into the United Kingdom from France; when he expects the first such flights to happen; how costs will be split between the Government and the French Government; and what payments in cash or benefits in kind will be made to those placed on such flights.

Phil Woolas: The United Kingdom (UK) continues to work with France-one of our closest European partners-in fighting illegal migration. Our shared determination has already created one of the toughest border crossings in the world at Calais. As part of this co-operation, the UK and France are assessing the feasibility of joint return flights to fly back to their country of origin potential illegal entrants who have no lawful basis with which to be in either country.
	The UK Border Agency does not disclose information in advance about the dates or destinations of charter flights in order to ensure the safety and security of our own staff, our contractors, and those we are seeking to return. Additionally, the Government of the country of origin may request that we do not publicise our operation as a condition of granting clearance for the flight. As there are currently no firm arrangements in place for the UK and France to operate a joint flight, there has been no agreement about cost allocation or whether any payment to returnees is appropriate. Any details about costs or breakdown of costs to an airline contracted for the purpose of a joint flight would be regarded as commercially confidential.

Jersey

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) his Department and  (b) police forces in England and Wales have received any requests from Jersey police to provide information about elected members of the state of Jersey.

David Hanson: The Home Office has received no such reports. Neither are we aware of any such reports being received by police forces in England and Wales.

National Security Strategy: Electromagnetic Pulses

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had on electromagnetic pulses in the context of the National Security Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government's updated National Security Strategy takes into account the threat posed to UK interests by the full range of 'threat actors'; a definition which includes natural hazards, as well as individuals or organisations with malign intent.
	The associated Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, published alongside and reflected in the National Security Strategy update, considers a number of methods of cyber attack, including those that generate high levels of power that can damage or disrupt unprotected electronics.
	Both strategies were produced in consultation with experts within and outside Government.

Offensive Weapons

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps he has taken to tackle knife crime; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: In March my predecessor announced an extra £5 million to tackle knife crime and increase targeted police action to tackle a minority of young people who commit serious violence, regardless of the weapon involved. In June I committed more than £2 million to support over 150 organisations who work with young people to tackle knife crime and support victims.

Offensive Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on promoting anti-knife initiatives in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The Home Office spent a total of £1,918,979 on promoting anti-knife initiatives in the last complete financial year 2008-09 (this figure is composed of advertising media, PR and print costs but excludes supplier fees, production and VAT).

Offensive Weapons: Amnesties

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of knife amnesty programmes; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: On 26 June 2007, following the national knife amnesty in 2006, the Government published a best practice guide for local police forces and practitioners providing a tactical menu of options to tackle knife-enabled crime at a local level. This was developed closely with ACPO and was developed drawing on the local lessons learned from the national amnesty.
	The 2006 knife amnesty was held from 24 May to the end of June 2006. Over that period, almost 90,000 items were handed in to police in England and Wales. This constitutes a substantial quantity of potentially lethal items taken off the streets. The amnesty was just one facet of our knife crime strategy, which focuses on tough enforcement, education programmes and support for wider prevention work. We are continuing our support to local initiatives and projects through the Community Fund, which was established in December 2008 and will provide financial assistance to 144 groups over three years.

Personation

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk reported being a victim of offences related to identity fraud in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not available centrally. The use of another person's identification details (or the use of false identification details), often referred to as identity fraud, is not in itself an offence in law. It is the action that is undertaken using those identification details that needs to be considered in respect of whether an offence has occurred and should be recorded.

Police Community Support Officers: Clothing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet the  (a) Head of the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and  (b) President of the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss stab-proof vests for police community support officers.

David Hanson: holding answer 14 July 2009
	The provision of stab-proof vests for police community support officers is not a matter for the Home Office Scientific Development Branch. However, I will discuss the issue of stab-proof vests for police community support officers in wider discussions on police equipment with the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers shortly.

Police Community Support Officers: Clothing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the average cost of equipping a police community support officer with a stab-proof vest.

David Hanson: holding answer 14 July 2009
	I have made no assessment of the cost of equipping a police community support officer with protective body armour. The equipping of police community support officers is an operational matter for chief officers of police.

Police Community Support Officers: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers became full members of the police force in the Staffordshire Police Authority area in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Eight PCSOs left their post in Staffordshire to become police officers in the financial year 2007-08.

Police: Stun Guns

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what analysis his Department has undertaken of the use of tasers by police officers in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Every use of taser by police officers in England and Wales is recorded and a report sent through to the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) for collection. This data is summarised and published on a quarterly basis and has been used to inform taser's operational effectiveness and its medical implications. The latest data can be found at:
	http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.uk/images/106966/Taserfigs_Sep-ec_08_.pdf
	HOSDB also published an evacuation of the 12 month trial of taser by specially trained units in November 2008.

UK Border Agency: Office of the Chief Inspector

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the budget is of the Office of the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency; and how many staff are employed in that office;
	(2)  how many staff employed in the Office of the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency worked for his Department prior to their appointment at the Agency;
	(3)  what the salary is of the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency; at what pay grades staff in his office are employed; and how many such staff are employed at each grade;
	(4)  what the cost of the premises occupied by the Office of the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency is in 2009-10.

Phil Woolas: The independent Chief Inspector UK Border Agency has a budget of £3 million for 2009 -10. As of 1 July 2009, 24.9 full-time equivalent staff work in the Office of the Chief Inspector (excluding the Chief Inspector). An additional five staff have been appointed and are expected to take up posts shortly.
	Of the 24.9 full-time equivalent staff in post on 1 July 2009, 15.9 staff worked for the Home Office prior to their employment.
	The Chief Inspector's current salary is £159,108. The following table sets out the position on the current number and grades of staff (excluding the Chief Inspector).
	The annual costs for 2009-10 for the premises occupied by the Office of the Chief Inspector UK Border Agency are still to be confirmed.
	
		
			  Office of Chief Inspector UKBA staff as at 1 July 2009 
			   Number 
			 Senior Civil Service (Pay Band 1) 1 
			 Grade 6 4 
			 Grade 7 7.9 
			 SEO or equivalent 7 
			 HEO or equivalent 1 
			 EO or equivalent 4 
			 AA/AO or equivalent 0 
			  Note: In addition: 3 x SEO; 1 x EO and 1 x AO have been appointed and will take up posts shortly.

UK Border Agency: Office of the Chief Inspector

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas visits to each country have been made by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency; and what the cost to the public purse was of such visits.

Phil Woolas: I have asked the independent chief inspector to respond in writing to my right hon. Friend.

Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1436W, on vetting, how many  (a) standard and  (b) enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks were undertaken in each police force area in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The total number of standard and enhanced disclosures processed in each financial year since 2002 until March 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  CRB checks processed 
			  Financial year  Standard disclosures  Enhanced disclosures  Total 
			 2002-03 178,375 1,258,719 1,437,094 
			 2003-04 285,130 1,999,558 2,284,688 
			 2004-05 275,197 2,155,740 2,430,937 
			 2005-06 313,368 2,456,897 2,770,265 
			 2006-07 329,223 2,948,734 3,277,957 
			 2007-08 294,592 3,028,659 3,323,251 
			 2008-09 396,274 3,457,410 3,853,684 
			 Grand total 2,072,159 17,305,717 19,377,876 
		
	
	The CRB cannot provide figures broken down by police force area. This is because standard disclosures are processed without any requirement for the police forces to conduct checks and several different police forces may be required to conduct checks in order to produce one enhanced disclosure.
	The CRB has now issued over 20 million disclosures since inception and operates to a set of published service standards (PSS) which are to issue 95 per cent. of standard disclosures within 10 days and 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within 28 days. While the CRB has consistently exceeded their targets for standard disclosures, there have been problems in meeting the target set for enhanced disclosures.
	To address these problems associated with delays, the CRB has set up an improvement plan with their delivery partners, including the police forces. This is aimed at maintaining a balanced output of applications on the system while also reducing the number of aged cases. This work has started to show an improvement in turnaround times but the CRB will continue to monitor forces performance in line with its own performance.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Berkeley Power Station

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future use of the former nuclear laboratories site at Berkeley; and when he expects the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to present proposals for that future use.

David Kidney: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for the clean up and decommissioning of the Berkeley site in line with its published strategy. I understand that the NDA's objective is to separate Berkeley Centre from the licensed site to facilitate reuse and that detailed planning for this is well underway.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) photocopiers,  (b) scanning devices and  (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: As of 9 July 2009, in the Department there are:
	 (a) 17 photocopiers;
	 (b) 11 faxes, and
	 (c) 0 scanners.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of his Department's capital underspend in 2009-10; and how much of that sum he proposes to return to the Exchequer.

Joan Ruddock: DECC does not expect to underspend against its capital budget in 2009-10.

Energy: Conservation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps he has taken to implement the undertakings made by the Prime Minister on 11 September 2008 in relation to the home energy saving programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: holding answer 23 March 2009
	 The Prime Minister's announcement saw a £74 million increase in funding for the Warm Front Scheme, offering grants for central heating and energy efficiency measures for the fuel poor. Over 37,000 households have been assisted to date with this additional funding.
	Also the weekly rate for cold weather payments was increased from £8.50 to £25. Over 8 million payments were made during winter 2008-09-at a value of £209 million.
	Following full public consultation, the Government have laid the statutory instruments giving effect to the proposals for the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and the increase in the Carbon Emissions Reductions Target (CERT), subject to parliamentary approval.

Energy: Conservation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much new funding for low-carbon community heating schemes announced in Budget 2009 will be provided in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) subsequent years.

David Kidney: Of the £25 million made available in Budget 2009 to fund low-carbon community heating schemes, £20.96 million is being administered by the Homes and Communities Agency to fund at least 10 exemplar schemes in England. It is anticipated that all of the funding will be provided to successful schemes in 2009-10. The remainder of the funding was made available to the devolved Administrations in line with the Barnett formula and is a matter for them.

Energy: Conservation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the first payments of money from the new funding for low-carbon community heating schemes announced in Budget 2009 will be made.

David Kidney: The first payments of money from the new funding for low carbon community heating schemes will be made before the end of July. A formal and more detailed announcement will be made as soon as is possible.

Energy: Conservation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria will be used to select recipients of the new funding for low-carbon community heating schemes announced in Budget 2009.

David Kidney: The criteria used to select recipients of the new funding for low carbon community heating schemes include:
	Novelty, innovation or exemplar quality;
	Support for new housing development or refurbishment of existing buildings;
	Value for money;
	Carbon savings;
	Progress of the scheme and ability to deliver quickly, and to timescales;
	Help for people affected by fuel poverty; and,
	Ability to leverage additional public or private funding.

Energy: Meters

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of domestic dwellings in Tamworth constituency which have a smart meter.

David Kidney: The Department has no estimate of this.

European Energy Market

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of levels of likely voluntary implementation by EU member states of the most recent EU liberalisation package in respect of the European energy market in advance of legislation coming into force in 2011.

David Kidney: We expect the latest EU energy liberalisation package to come into force shortly, with implementation of most aspects of it then to be completed within 18 months. Well functioning EU energy markets will make an important contribution to energy security and investment to support low carbon energy supplies. This is why we are encouraging other member states to implement early as much of the package as possible.
	There has already been considerable progress on transparency and on setting up the new bodies for cooperation between regulators and system operators. Work is also under way on the technical and regulatory frameworks needed to underpin greater market integration.

European Energy Market

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the early voluntary implementation of the most recent EU liberalisation package in respect of the European energy market.

David Kidney: The EU liberalisation package was adopted on 25 June. Department officials are encouraging other member states to implement early as much of the package as possible, and I will reinforce this when I meet other EU energy Ministers in the course of business.

Evian

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the outcomes were of his visit to Evian on 6 July; and if he will publish on his Department's website the papers discussed with his French counterpart during that visit.

Joan Ruddock: The meeting showed how close the thinking of the UK and France is on climate change and energy policy. Much of the discussion between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and French Ministers concentrated on how to secure an ambitious agreement at COP 15 in Copenhagen. Most notably we agreed to seek international adoption of new, tougher reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
	The results are summarised in joint declarations on international climate change negotiations and on nuclear energy. These appear on the No. 10 website.

Fuel Poverty

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which schemes sponsored by the Government have as an objective the reduction of fuel poverty; which such schemes are planned; and how much has been spent on each scheme in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Kidney: Warm Front is the main Government funded scheme for tackling fuel poverty in England. Over 1.9 million households have received assistance with heating, insulation and other energy efficient measures since the scheme's inception in June 2000.
	Funding for the scheme has been increased to more than £950 million in the current spending round. In the previous spending round period, 2005-08, Warm Front total spend was £862 million.
	The Government are currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of our fuel poverty policies. The review is examining whether existing measures to tackle fuel poverty could be made more effective and whether new policies should be introduced to help us make further progress towards our goals.

Fuel Poverty

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what initiatives to tackle fuel poverty are being provided by private companies under his Department's direction; how much has been spent on each in the latest period for which figures are available; and whether any other such schemes are planned.

David Kidney: Warm Front is the main Government scheme for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England and is managed by eaga plc. Over 1.9 million households have received assistance with heating, insulation and other energy efficient measures since the scheme's inception in June 2000. Funding for the scheme has been increased to more than £950 million in the current spending round. The scheme is managed for the Government by eaga plc.
	The carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) is an obligation placed on energy supply companies that have more than 50,000 customers to achieve CO2 savings in the homes of domestic consumers-40 per cent. of which must be met by installing measures in the homes of a priority group of low-income consumers in receipt of qualifying benefits or are aged 70 and over.
	Energy suppliers do not disclose the amount of money that they spend on promoting CERT measures, as they regard this as being commercial-in-confidence. However, we understand that under the previous two phases of the energy efficiency commitment (EEC), which ran from April 2002 to March 2008, suppliers invested £1.325 billion promoting measures. The Government's estimate of likely spend for the current CERT is £3.2 billion. With 60 per cent. of this investment expected to be directed at the Priority Group, the total investment over nine years would total £2.7 billion.
	DECC has provided funding of £3 million between 2008-09 to 2010-11 under the Low Carbon Buildings programme-together with revenue funding from partners-to deliver pilot microgeneration projects for deprived communities in the north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside, East of England and, possibly, Wales.
	The new Community Energy Saving programme (CESP) will see the main energy companies deliver energy efficiency measures worth around £350 million to homes in low income areas around the country. The scheme will deliver both carbon savings and fuel bill savings to assisted households, and subject to parliamentary approval is expected to come into force in September this year.
	The Government are currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of our fuel poverty policies. The review is examining whether existing measures to tackle fuel poverty could be made more effective and whether new policies should be introduced to help us make further progress towards our goals.

Future Energy Networks Team

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department are working in the future energy networks team.

David Kidney: The Future Electricity Networks (FEN) team is part of the Renewables Directorate and is made up of 12 people.

Insulation: Housing

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent from the public purse on insulating the homes of pensioners in each local authority area in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

David Kidney: The following table details the Warm Front funding spent on insulating the homes of over 60's in each local authority area in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Local authority  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1)  Total 
			 Bolton 132,374.20 237,704.61 248,163.23 182,662.34 45,817.05 846,721.43 
			 Bury 75,986.77 162,115.45 115,095.72 97,909.33 41,201.97 492,309.24 
			 Manchester 80,305.86 174,675.11 123,719.35 97,067.10 34,664.02 510,431.44 
			 Oldham 74,876.18 152,595.20 118,227.46 93,377.32 30,278.27 469,354.43 
			 Rochdale 85,797.64 180,263.33 103,292.97 117,583.31 36,847.64 523,784.89 
			 Salford 95,302.55 186,267.34 95,899.60 131,508.95 31,440.38 540,418.82 
			 Stockport 90,460.84 221,788.91 124,709.77 193,585.93 63,698.40 694,243.85 
			 Tameside 71,009.40 153,265.42 104,586.24 147,911.29 29,391.33 506,163.68 
			 Trafford 64,147.31 122,690.78 125,323.81 129,179.62 55,439.88 496,781.40 
			 Wigan 163,826.48 289,096.05 236,302.84 288,649.36 76,426.73 1,054,301.46 
			 (1) From 1 March 2009 to 30 June 2009.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much new funding for the Low-carbon Buildings Programme announced in Budget 2009 there will be in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) subsequent years.

David Kidney: The new £45 million funding for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme announced in Budget 2009 will be allotted over  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) subsequent years as follows:
	
		
			   2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			 Phase I Ext (Householders) 5 5 10 
			 Phase II Ext (Others) 25 10 35 
			 Total   45 
		
	
	There is no planned expenditure after 2011. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme will be superseded by Feed in Tariffs in 2010 and Renewable Heat Incentives in 2011.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the first payments of money from the new funding for the Low-carbon Buildings Programme announced in Budget 2009 will be made.

David Kidney: The new grant funding under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme became available from 1 July 2009 when new applications were welcomed. With a lead in period of approximately three months between grant offer letter and payment upon completion of project-the first payment of grant money allocated is expected to be in October 2009.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the new funding for the Low-carbon Buildings Programme announced in Budget 2009 will be made available for solar photovoltaic installations in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) subsequent years.

David Kidney: The proportion of the new £45 million funding for Low Carbon Buildings programme (LCBP) announced in Budget 2009 which will be made available for solar photovoltaic applications under LCBP Phase 2 in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) subsequent years is as follows:
	
		
			2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			 Phase II Ext Addition for PV New 14 0 14 
		
	
	There is no planned expenditure after 2011. The Low Carbon Buildings programme will be superseded by feed in tariffs in 2010 and renewable heat incentives in 2011.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in his Department plans to reply to the e-mail of 31 March from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on a replacement low carbon buildings programme.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 12 May 2009
	I apologise for the unacceptable delay in replying to the hon. Member, which was due to administrative error in my Department.
	The e-mail the hon. Member refers to forwarded correspondence from Councillor Anne Mackison regarding the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. My colleague, the previous Minister of State in this Department, replied directly to Councillor Mackison on 20 April 2009. I apologise that the hon. Member was not copied in to that letter, and I have therefore sent a copy of that letter to him today.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount of commercial income that will be earned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11,  (c) 2011-12 and  (d) 2012-13.

David Kidney: The budget of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for 2009-10 and 2010-11 was considered within the context of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR07). The settlement assumed that the NDA's commercial income would be £2.2 billion for 2009-10 and 2010-11. The commercial income budget for 2011-12 and 2012-13 has yet to be determined, and will take into account the end of life of existing Magnox electricity generating stations and the evaporative capacity at Sellafield.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much commercial income was earned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

David Kidney: The NDA publishes commercial income in their annual report and accounts. Their commercial income for 2007-08 was £1,458 million. The accounts for 2008-09 will be laid before Parliament later this month.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's budget is for  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11,  (c) 2011-12 and  (d) 2012-13, broken down by budget heading.

David Kidney: The budget of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for 2009-10 and 2010-11 was considered within the context of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR07). The settlement provides the NDA with £3.3 billion direct Government funding over the last two years of CSR07 (£1.6 billion in 2009-10 and £1.7 billion in 2010-11) of which £0.9 billion is resource and £2.4 billion is capital. Together with its commercial income the total funding available over the last two years of CSR07 is projected to be £5.5 billion. The budget for 2011-12 and 2012-13 has yet to be determined.

Nuclear Power

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Nuclear National Policy Statement will be launched.

David Kidney: The Government will publish a draft Nuclear National Policy Statement (NPS) in autumn 2009 for public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. We aim to designate the NPS in spring 2010.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the generic design assessment for nuclear new build against the Office for Nuclear Development's draft timeline.

David Kidney: holding answer 8 July 2009
	The UK nuclear regulators are currently assessing two designs under the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process-EdF/Areva's UK-EPR and Westinghouse's API 000.
	This process is being undertaken by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) (both part of the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate) and the Environment Agency.
	GDA began in July 2007 on a contingent basis, pending the outcome of the Government's consultation on nuclear power in January 2008. Regulators completed their initial stage of the assessment in March 2008. The more detailed assessment stages of GDA commenced in June 2008.
	Regulators have stated that they remain on track to complete GDA by June 2011. The NII will produce interim reports in November 2009 and the Environment Agency aim to undertake a public consultation on their findings in spring 2010. This is consistent with the Government's indicative timeline for the first new nuclear power stations coming online from around 2018.
	Regular updates on the progress of GDA, including quarterly reports, are published on the regulator's joint website:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors/index.htm

Plutonium

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 725W, on plutonium, for what reason his Department declined to fund the travel and accommodation expenses of stakeholders attending the plutonium policy meeting on 21 May 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Normal practice is for organisations to fund the expenses of those attending meetings on their behalf.
	DECC in common with all Departments has to manage its limited funding and used normal practice with respect to the expenses of those invited to the meeting.

Power Stations: Influenza

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what arrangements his Department has made regarding the continuity of fuel supplies to power stations in the event of an influenza pandemic.

David Kidney: DECC has been working closely with the energy sector through the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C) for over two years in order to identify and mitigate energy supply risks specific to an influenza pandemic.
	Within the power generation industry, work has focused on a number of risks to the continuity of generation including; a severe shortage of manpower, unavailability of primary fuels for generation and disruption of the supply chain for essential chemicals and other goods.
	On the particular question of fuel supplies, these are mainly coal, gas and nuclear.
	In the case of coal, fuel stocks currently stand at about three months supply, and this figure would usually rise as we approach the winter. These stock levels are thought to be sufficient to cope with any disruptions caused by a flu pandemic, where the peak impact might be intense but would be of a relatively short duration.
	For gas fired power stations the supply route is robust, with gas being transported by pipeline via the main national gas transmission network. We are working with gas network owners via E3C to ensure appropriate business continuity plans are in place to minimise the likelihood of disruption to gas supplies.
	The UK's nuclear power station need to replenish their nuclear reactor fuel on a regular basis, however the impact of a delay in the replenishment programmes would be a gradual reduction in output rather than complete loss. The risk of a disruption to supply arrangements is deemed to be very low, however British Energy and Magnox are working with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to understand what flexibility exists within current regulations to help extend the life of fuel cells and thus reduce the frequency of the refuelling process if necessary.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the baseline planning assumptions are for the proposed national deep-level geological repository for radioactive waste.

David Kidney: holding answer 9 July 2009
	The Managing Radioactive Waste Safely White Paper: A Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal, published in June 2008, outlined the role of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as the body responsible for planning and implementing geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.
	The White Paper sets out a staged decision-making process to site a geological disposal facility and the NDA are proceeding with early planning. The process is driven by discussions with potential host communities but early assumptions will need to be made for planning purposes on a wide range of technical issues that will not become clear for some time, such as the potential geological characteristics of a site and the amount of waste to be disposed of. The NDA plans to publish a document outlining and explaining its early planning work on this subject later this year.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on (i) the earliest and (ii) latest dates for the proposed national deep-level geological repository for radioactive waste to open to receive waste deposits; and what discussions have been held on the operational opening dates.

David Kidney: holding answer 9 July 2009
	Ministers and Officials meet the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) regularly to discuss its responsibilities for decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's public civil nuclear sites including the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.
	The process to site a geological disposal facility is driven by discussions with potential host communities. The programme is flexible and able to incorporate both robust technical site investigations and ongoing interactions between the project and potential host communities. The Government have therefore not set a fixed delivery timetable, but the NDA, as part of its baseline delivery strategy, has a current planning assumption that the disposal facility could be available to receive the first waste in 2040. In the event that geological disposal facilities are not available until after this date, interim stores will have their lives extended as required, in order to provide safe and secure interim storage throughout the geological disposal facility development programme.

Renewable Energy

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to announce his decision on the future of  (a) the Severn Tidal Barrier and  (b) each other proposed renewable energy project under consideration by his Department.

David Kidney: The Government response to public consultation on Severn tidal power is published today. A decision on whether to support a Severn Estuary power scheme will be made after further assessment of the costs, benefits and impacts and following a second public consultation, likely to be during 2010.
	The Government's Renewable Energy Strategy, which contains a range of measures to meet the UK's renewable energy target, will also be published shortly.

Renewable Energy

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the heat generated from woody biomass in each year since 2005; and on what data he bases such estimates.

Joan Ruddock: Information on all forms of renewable energy used for heat generation is contained in table 7.6 of the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics. The current edition, published in July 2008, contains information up to and including 2007; the data for 2005-07 are shown in the table. The next edition of the digest, which will contain 2008 data, is being published on 30 July 2009.
	
		
			  Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent 
			   Domestic wood use  Industrial wood use 
			 2005 286.6 80.9 
			 2006 322.4 80.9 
			 2007 358.3 80.9 
		
	
	The data are based on information from the Forestry Commission, the Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme (HETAS), the bio-energy capital grants scheme, and AEA, acting on behalf of DECC.

Warm Front Scheme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many boilers running on  (a) wood chips and  (b) other biomass fuels have been installed under the Warm Front scheme in each of the last five years.

David Kidney: The Warm Front scheme does not provide for wood-chip and other biomass fuelled measures, therefore no such measures have been installed.

Warm Front Scheme

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what procedures are in place to ensure that work is carried out by Warm Front contractors before they are paid for it.

David Kidney: All Warm Front installations must be signed for by the householder, who will sign a Works Completion Certificate confirming they are satisfied with the installation that has been carried out. Installers then submit their request for payment to eaga.
	Inspections of the installations (100 per cent. of gas, 5 per cent. of oil, 5 per cent. of electric heating installations, and a 5 per cent. sample of insulation installations) are also performed, eaga reserves the right to withhold payment to installers should the installation not meet Warm Front required standards.
	In those cases where the work quoted exceeds the grant limit the customer will need to pay the excess paid direct to the installer before work can commence.

Warm Front Scheme

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households had work undertaken for them by Warm Front contractors  (a) in the UK and  (b) in Wandsworth in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009.

David Kidney: The following table details the number of households assisted by Warm Front in  (a) England and  (b) Wandsworth borough in years 2005-06 to 2008-09 and from 1 March to 19 June in 2009-10, (the latest period for which figures are available).
	
		
			  Assisted households  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1)  Total 
			 England 114,591 253,079 268,900 233,594 45,168 915,332 
			 Wandsworth 109 237 289 325 62 1,022 
			 (1) Up to 19 June 2009

Warm Front Scheme

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his estimate is of the average waiting time for insulation work to be carried out under the Warm Front scheme in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009.

Joan Ruddock: The following table details the average waiting times for insulation measures delivered by Warm Front in years 2006-07 to 2008-09 and from 1 March to 9 May in 2009-10.(the latest period for which figures are available).
	
		
			   Average days to install 
			 2006-07 33 
			 2007-08 28 
			 2008-09 33 
			 2009-10(1) 24 
			 (1) To 9 May 2009

Warm Front Scheme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in each region  (a) were eligible for and  (b) received grants under the Warm Front Scheme in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The Department does not record how many households are eligible for a Warm Front grant in each region.
	The following table details how many households in each Government office region received grants under the Warm Front scheme in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Government office region 
			  Scheme year  East Midlands  East of England  Greater London  North East England  North West England  South East England  South West England  West Midlands  Yorkshire and Humber 
			 2004-05 20,505 14,520 13,623 15,420 47,246 19,000 16,978 27,457 33,335 
			 2005-06 15,038 14,458 12,080 11,418 41,410 17,183 17,949 19,808 23,840 
			 2006-08 24,110 19,901 12,766 20,683 61,536 22,046 19,424 36,453 36,160 
			 2007-08 25,136 24,421 19,481 18,865 60,089 22,941 22,034 36,530 39,403 
			 2008-09 22,613 25,503 16,888 13,721 51,079 22,959 21,365 30,745 28,721

WORK AND PENSIONS

Action for Employment

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many training and skills contracts her Department has with A4e; what percentage of people who have attended such A4e training and skills courses have been placed into permanent employment; who supervises and inspects sites where A4e are giving such courses; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department currently has 47 contracts with A4e for the delivery of a range of welfare to work provision.
	On those contracts where we count job outcomes, during the period 2008-09, 20 per cent. of people starting provision delivered by A4e have started work. Some customers, however, will still be on provision.
	The delivery of provision is monitored by the Department and is also subject to external inspection by Ofsted in England, and Estyn in Wales. Areas for improvement identified at inspection are addressed through the Department's contract management process.

Children: Maintenance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the number of non-resident parents paying child maintenance who are in receipt of tax credits.

Helen Goodman: I have consulted with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission who have confirmed that the information requested is not available.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by her Department in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm whether they hold information about attacks against their IT systems. This would enable individuals to deduce how successful the UK is in detecting these attacks, and so assist such persons in testing the effectiveness of the UK's IT defences. This is not in the public interest.

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what categories of personal information on members of the public are contained on each database which contains such data managed by her Department and its agencies; when each category of information was first collected; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what databases managed by her Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The categories of personal data relating to members of the public contained on databases administered by the Department and its agencies are set out in the Department's formal registration under the Data Protection Act, which is available for examination on the Information Commissioner's public website. Details of when these categories of information were collected, the databases which hold personal information, and the dates on which each database became operational are not available centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Equal Opportunities

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her Department's definition is of equality of opportunity in relation to her Department's policies; and if she will make an assessment of the impact on equality of opportunity of her Department's policies.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions' statement of equality of opportunity is:
	The Department is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. As an employer we are also committed to equality and valuing diversity within our workforce. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments, reinforced by our Values, are embedded in our day to day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.
	This means that our internal policies are designed to ensure equality of opportunity for our existing and prospective employees. For example, we carry out all our permanent recruitment exercises under fair and open competition and we monitor the procedures carefully to make sure that they do not unfairly discriminate against anyone. We are a Disability Symbol user and operate the Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled candidates. We are a Local Employment Partnership employer.
	Our statement of equality of opportunity applies to our policies and to the services we offer. We carry out equality impact assessments on new policies and services and when we make changes to existing ones. This ensures that equality of opportunity is taken into account at the earliest stage of policy and service development and that:
	the Department's strategies, policies and services are free from discrimination;
	due regard is given to equality (specifically disability, gender and race) in decision making and subsequent processes; and
	opportunities for promoting equality are identified.
	In order to consider the impact of equality of opportunity on our policies and services and to ensure the Department's diversity and equality work is showing real results and comparing well to comparative work carried by external organisations, we have also participated in external benchmarking exercises. External benchmarking also gives us the opportunity to share best diversity practise with other organisations.
	Our approach to equality is set out in a variety of publications, including:
	the Department for Work and Pensions: Race, Disability and Gender Equality Schemes 2008-2011
	www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/diversity-and-equality/dwp-equality-schemes/equality-schemes-2008-2011
	the Department for Work and Pensions: Secretary of State Report on Disability Equality
	www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/policy-publications.asp#social
	and
	the Department for Work and Pensions: Race, Disability and Gender Equality Schemes Annual Progress Report 2008-2011
	www.dwp.gov.uk/about%2Ddwp/diversitv%2Dand% 2Dequalitv/dwp%2Dequality%2Dschemes/equalitv% 2Dschemes%2D2008%2D2011/progress%2Dreports% 2D2009/

Employment Schemes: Public Sector

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will assess the merits of making access to work funding available to individuals working or aiming to work in the public sector; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 13 July 2009
	It is important that individuals aiming to, or who are already working within the public sector have access to funding, such as Access to Work, in relation to their support needs. Individuals working, or about to work in the public sector have been eligible for Access to Work support since the inception of the programme in 1994.
	We believe, however, it is right for public sector employers to set an example to other employers by recognising the value to them of taking responsibility for managing workplace disability adjustments. The Strategy Unit Report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People published in January 2005, stated that there are strong grounds for asking employers in the wider public sector to fund workplace disability adjustments.
	As a result of this, from 1 October 2006, ministerial Government Departments have funded the workplace disability adjustments required by their disabled staff out of their running costs, instead of using the Access to Work programme. Ministerial Government Departments are required to provide the same level of support for their employees that would be expected under the Access to Work programme.
	Jobcentre Plus continues to provide and fund assessments, and continues to provide information and advice to disabled staff and their managers. There are no plans to remove Access to Work funding from people working in other parts of the public sector, and individuals working in these public sector organisations can still apply for Access to Work funding.

Future Jobs Fund

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what mechanism the Future Jobs Fund will provide jobs for young people.

Jim Knight: The Future Jobs Fund is a challenge fund into which anyone can bid. We expect most bids to be made in partnership.

Future Jobs Fund

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average level of subsidy per person funded by the Future Jobs Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: This is still an open bidding process and organisations are able to bid for up to £6,500 for every job they create. It is a rolling assessment process with more organisations bidding to the fund every day. It is up to those bidders to decide what level of funding they require to create a Future Jobs Fund job.

Future Jobs Fund: Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who in Oxfordshire will be responsible for administering and managing the Future Jobs Fund; and what estimate she has made of the proposed budget for the fund in Oxfordshire.

Jim Knight: The Future Jobs Fund will be managed centrally by the Department for Work and Pensions and every Government office in England will be able to help potential bidders to develop their bids.
	As it is a competitive bidding process, we are not ring-fencing funding for any particular region or area, however greater emphasis will be given to bids from areas of high worklessness and with high populations of eligible young people.

Health and Safety Executive: Freedom of Information

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which requests for information received by the Health and Safety Executive under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in 2008 were  (a) classified as not resolvable and  (b) refused in full.

Jonathan R Shaw: In 2008 HSE received a total of 6,516 requests for information under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI).
	1,882 of these requests were classed as 'information not held', and therefore were not resolvable by HSE. The main reasons for this are that information was held by another public authority; or the requests relate to an incident that had not been reported to HSE.
	A further 966 requests for information were withheld in full. Many of these requests were in relation to ongoing investigations, where the release of such information could affect the outcome of HSE's investigation. In these cases the exemption in Section 30 of FOI is applied.
	HSE does not have a mechanism to easily identify all of the specific reasons why requests were not resolved or withheld in full, except by reviewing each individual case, which could be provided only at disproportionate cost/effort.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was for a new single claim for housing benefit/local housing allowance to be processed following the cancellation of a joint claim in the latest period for which figures are available; and in how many cases it took 30 days or more to process a claim in the latest period for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 2 July 2009
	The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive  (a) more and  (b) less housing benefit as a consequence of the most recent review of housing benefit localities carried out by the Rent Service.

Helen Goodman: A review of all Broad Rental Market Areas (formerly localities) was started in England by rent officers following amendments to the Rent Officers Order in January 2009. The first eight reviews were implemented on 1 July 2009 and a further two will be implemented on 1 August 2009. Other reviews, where changes are necessary for the BRMA to comply with the order, will be implemented after consultation with the appropriate local authorities. We do not yet know how many people will receive more or less housing benefit as a consequence of these reviews.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each Jobcentre Plus office in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each Jobcentre Plus office in each of the last five years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The information you have requested is not available in the form you have sought. Detailed statistics are not routinely held on staff by the descriptions you have provided; nor are staff necessarily allocated to a specific Jobcentre Plus office. Jobcentre Plus is a national organisation and delivers its services from around 850 locations around Britain. Those include Jobcentres, Contact Centres and Benefit Delivery Centres. We also operate from a small number of head office and regional office sites in different parts of the country where co-location arrangements apply.
	However, the enclosed table provides a breakdown of staff, by grade, over each of the last five years. That provides an illustration of senior management, middle management and administrative posts in Jobcentre Plus. The information reflects the position at the end of March in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus grade breakdown: March 2005 to March 2009 
			  Grade  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  March 2008  March 2009 
			 SCS(1) 52 41 58 51 45 
			 Band G 152 143 143 144 133 
			 Band F 383 339 359 345 335 
			 Band E 1,353 1,185 1,129 1,070 1,065 
			 Band D 4,239 3,742 3,842 3,760 3,913 
			 Band C 28,106 26,730 25,595 25,450 26,638 
			 Band B 35,860 35,151 33,762 33,069 35,239 
			 Band A 4,330 3,891 3,058 2,527 2,110 
			 Total 74,475 71,222 67,946 66,416 69,478 
			 (1) SCS = Senior Civil Service  Notes: Senior Civil Service will include Directors and some senior managers; Bands G-E will include some senior managers, specialists and a number of delivery managers as well as some executive support functions; Bands D-C will also include delivery managers and executive support functions; Bands B-A comprise administrative staff.

Jobcentre Plus: Offices

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Jobcentre Plus has spent on  (a) increasing the physical capacity of jobcentres,  (b) acquiring new office space,  (c) extending existing office space and  (d) converting existing office space to accommodate higher demand for Jobcentre Plus services in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: holding answer 8 July 2009
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking how much Jobcentre Plus has spent on (a) increasing the physical capacity of jobcentres, (b) acquiring new office space, (c) extending existing office space and (d) converting existing office space to accommodate higher demand for Jobcentre Plus services. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus are continuously reviewing existing service delivery arrangements in order to meet the challenge of the current economic climate and the planned welfare reform changes for the next two to three years. The latest reviews have taken account of the latest known information on the expected increases in business and customer volumes.
	The latest review has identified that around 50% of Jobcentre Plus offices currently face a capacity challenge. This challenge will be met through a range of solutions and we are unable to provide the data to fully respond to your questions (a, b, c and d) until all of these solutions have been implemented.
	In the light of the unprecedented customer demand we have secured the required funding to convert or extend our existing buildings where necessary. In addition we aim to make our services accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach facilities, often delivering advisory and other support on Partner's premises. We are supplementing these measures by operating extended opening hours in some locations where the need for this is identified locally. This includes some offices opening to the public on Saturday. We will only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
	To date estates work has been undertaken and completed on 18 of our buildings at a cost of £1m, increasing our capacity to deliver additional customer service to the public. Estates work is planned for a further 151 buildings. This work is currently at an early stage and therefore the costs are not fully known.

Jobcentre Plus: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff in Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information is only available for the most recent two years requested and is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Bonuses paid in 2007-08 and 2008-09 for Jobcentre Plus 
			  £000 
			   Staff grade range  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Directors - 81 87 
			 Senior managers Band F to below Director level 721 582 
			 Specialist and Delivery Managers Band D to E 2,802 1,977 
			 Executive Support and Administration staff Band A to C 19,505 12,042 
			 Total  23,109 14,688 
			  Source: DWP Payroll reports and Jobcentre Plus Accounts

Local Housing Allowance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of implementation of local housing allowance; what estimate she has made of the number of tenants who have not passed rent to their landlord since the new scheme was introduced; and what estimate she has made of the monetary value of that rent.

Helen Goodman: The Department has committed to completing a review of the LHA scheme over a two-year period from the commencement of its roll-out in April 2008. The aim of the review is to monitor the impact of the LHA at a national level, against the original LHA policy objectives.
	The review will include an in-depth focus group study of landlords, concerning their attitudes and experiences of the LHA, including any problems with rent arrears. Further information is not available at this stage.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when she plans to reply to the letter to her predecessor of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr J Woolley;
	(2)  when she plans to reply to the letter to her predecessor of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss S See and Mr T Gordon.

Jim Knight: Replies were sent to my right hon. Friend on 13 July 2009.

Mesothelioma

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths in each age category were attributable to mesothelioma in each year since 1979.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in each five-year age category in each year from 1979 to 2006 (the latest year for which statistics are available) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Mesothelioma deaths by five-year age group, 1979 to 2006 
			   10-14  15-19  20-24  25-29  30-34  35-39  40-44  45-49  50-54  55-59  60-64  65-69  70-74  75-79  80-84  85+  Total 
			 1979 - - - 2 4 7 11 19 47 64 62 85 71 44 15 3 434 
			 1980 - - 1 - 1 7 11 21 45 66 69 90 74 44 18 10 457 
			 1981 - - - 1 - 6 17 20 35 76 91 78 63 52 27 2 468 
			 1982 - - - - 3 9 19 23 40 73 90 86 92 47 17 8 507 
			 1983 - - 1 1 - 5 12 26 48 85 91 91 99 64 38 10 571 
			 1984 - - 1 - - 9 13 30 44 81 118 108 98 62 47 12 623 
			 1985 - - - 1 3 6 13 33 34 89 118 81 114 73 35 18 618 
			 1986 - 1 - - 3 9 15 31 50 87 124 128 115 86 42 15 706 
			 1987 - - - 1 2 7 21 28 69 99 154 143 116 100 60 14 814 
			 1988 - - - - 1 4 20 41 64 112 134 180 145 106 39 26 872 
			 1989 - - - - 2 10 15 35 66 115 162 185 119 120 59 21 909 
			 1990 - - - - 2 3 20 42 73 96 139 164 151 116 60 29 895 
			 1991 - - - - - 6 22 48 70 113 153 212 193 120 69 17 1,023 
			 1992 - - 1 - 1 7 21 45 92 118 162 195 194 166 67 28 1,097 
			 1993 - - - 1 2 4 17 49 86 114 154 203 234 149 106 33 1,152 
			 1994 - - - 1 - - 9 52 100 123 203 234 219 166 89 50 1,246 
			 1995 1 - - 1 1 3 14 38 82 152 163 250 267 194 100 51 1,317 
			 1996 - - - - 1 3 8 42 87 137 164 239 264 176 126 75 1,322 
			 1997 - - - - - 3 9 35 95 129 192 243 260 214 121 66 1,367 
			 1998 - - - 1 1 3 7 37 91 143 173 251 301 274 164 95 1,541 
			 1999 - - - 1 3 - 7 25 78 178 230 258 288 320 147 80 1,615 
			 2000 - - - 1 - 3 9 26 85 148 242 250 330 292 151 96 1,633 
			 2001 - - 1 - 1 2 11 27 94 179 242 276 332 357 216 124 1,862 
			 2002 - - - - 1 3 2 13 82 181 265 296 382 331 196 116 1,868 
			 2003 - 1 - 1 2 - 6 24 63 169 244 324 309 364 256 124 1,887 
			 2004 - - - - - 2 9 24 42 156 270 327 362 371 282 134 1,979 
			 2005(1) - 1 - - 2 3 8 21 72 164 266 337 366 376 279 152 2,047 
			 2006(1) - - - 1 - 1 6 18 51 144 266 363 355 386 295 170 2,056 
			 Total 1 3 5 14 36 125 352 873 1,885 3391 4,741 5,677 5,913 5,170 3,121 1,579 32,886 
			 (1) Provisional.  Source: Health and Safety Executive British Mesothelioma Register.

New Deal Schemes

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people completed a new deal programme in each of the last three years; and what the cost of new deal programmes was in each of those years.

Jim Knight: The following table gives the available data on the number of people who left the New Deal programmes in the last three years. The figures cover only New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25-Plus and New Deal for Partners. They include people leaving from the Jobcentre Plus and the provider-delivered elements of the programme.
	
		
			   Total leavers from the above stated programmes 
			 2006 264,710 
			 2007 314,990 
			 2008 262,190 
			  Notes: Time Series-year of leaving. The calendar year of leaving New Deal. Latest data are to November 2008. 1. The totals for each year exclude those customers on New Deal for Lone Parents, Disabled People and New Deal 50 Plus due to the unavailability of the data. 2. The measure used for New Deal for Partners is Leavers (individuals) as spells are not available for this New Deal. They may or may not have completed. For all other programmes the figures shown are for those who have completed. 3. Since June 2008, New Deal for Disabled People has ceased to operate as a national programme.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	The following table shows the costs of the contracted out element only for the three years 200-07 to 2008-09. It is not possible to split out the costs for the Jobcentre Plus element from normal Jobcentre Plus running costs.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Programme  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 New Deals for Young People and 25 Plus 306.5 398.3 424.8 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 41.5 60.4 29.5 
			 New Deal 50 Plus 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 New Deal for Disabled People 73 78.4 34.1 
			 New Deal for Partners 0.6 0.4 0.3 
			  Notes: 1. New Deal for Disabled People reductions in 2008-09 are due to the introduction of provider-led pathways in 60 per cent. of the country. 2. New Deal for Lone Parents reduction in 2008-09 are due to costs for In Work Credit being transferred from the DEL (Programme) account to Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). 3. Expenditure figures exclude administration costs as they cannot be identified since 2002-03, when ring fences were removed with agreement from HM Treasury. 4. The figures for 2008-09 are indicative pending scrutiny and sign-off by NAO. 5. The source of the above data is the DWP financial systems. Figures agree with those published in the departmental report.

Poverty

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people were  (a) classified as living in poverty,  (b) claiming jobseeker's allowance and  (c) claiming employment and support allowance in each local authority area in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: holding answer 13 July 2009
	Poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number and proportion of people in relative poverty at Country and Government Office Region levels or for Inner or Outer London. This means information for each local authority area is not available.
	The number of JSA claimants in each local authority since 2000 is given in the document that has been placed in the Library.
	Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit for new claims from 27 October 2008. The latest quarterly data available is November 2008, which means that a full quarter's data are not available at present. Provisional headline figures are shown in the following table. Information for each local authority area is not yet available.
	
		
			  Provisional working age claimants of ESA November 2008 
			   ESA (T housand) 
			 November 2008 51,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figure relating to ESA has been thoroughly quality assured to National Statistics Standard, however it should be noted that this is a new benefit using a new data source which may not have reached steady state in terms of operational processing and retrospection. Hence ESA figures for November 2008 are provisional. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.  Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overpayments of each type of benefit were made to claimants in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The Department's strategy for measuring fraud and error focuses on providing estimates of the monetary value of fraud and error and does not provide estimates of the number of payments over or underpaid over a particular time period so this is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the amount of overpayments of each type of benefit was in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The Department's strategy for measuring fraud and error focuses on providing estimates of the monetary value of fraud and error. Estimates of the value and the percentage of expenditure for benefits that have been measured since 1997 have been placed in the Library. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 571-73W.

Unemployment

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to page 37 of Building Britain's Future 
	(1)  what criteria will be used to designate the areas of high unemployment in which 50,000 new jobs will be provided;
	(2)  what level of recruitment subsidies will be provided to support access to jobs by adults who have been unemployed for six months; who will administer such subsidies; and for how long such subsidies will be paid.

Jim Knight: Those areas we have defined as areas of high unemployment are those where the rate of claimant unemployment is at least 1.5 percentage points above the national average.
	The recruitment subsidy is worth £1,000. Subsidised jobs have to be for a minimum of 16 hours a week and expected to last for at least six months. In England, the recruitment subsidy could also be combined with access to Train to Gain support, which is typically worth £1,500.
	The recruitment subsidy is administered by Jobcentre Plus.

Unemployment: Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who in Oxfordshire will be responsible for ensuring that from 2010 every person under 25 years who has been unemployed for a year will be able to take up a guaranteed job, work experience or a training place.

Jim Knight: We expect that local authorities, partnerships and organisations will work together to create job opportunities for the young people in their area. Jobcentre Plus advisers will be responsible for ensuring that customers are given access to the full range of offers.

Unemployment: Young People

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Draft Legislative Programme 2009, Cm 7564, page 37, what steps will be taken from 2010 against a person aged under 25 years who has been unemployed for a year and who fails to take up a job, work experience or a training place.

Jim Knight: From April 2010, we will require all young people aged 18 to 25 approaching the 12-month point of their claim to jobseeker's allowance to take up one of the offers included in the Young Person's Guarantee: a subsidised job, training or a place on the Community Task Force.
	We know that most jobseeker's allowance customers want to get back to work, and we expect the Young Person's Guarantee to help thousands of young people into jobs. Where a customer refuses to take up the job or provision they are referred to without good reason, the existing jobseeker's allowance conditionality rules will apply and they may be subject to a benefit sanction.

Unemployment: Young People

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Draft Legislative Programme 2009, Cm 7564, page 37, what her definition is of a guaranteed job which a person aged under 25 who has been unemployed for a year will be required to take up.

Jim Knight: The Budget spoke of a guaranteed offer, one element of which is a job. The jobs consist of 150,000 new jobs created through the Future Jobs Fund and additionally up to 100,000 existing jobs in key employment sectors. These will be offered alongside work-focused training or meaningful activity via a community task force.

Young Persons' Guarantee

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of implementing the change in the Young Persons' Guarantee from a voluntary to a mandatory programme.

Jim Knight: In his 2009 Budget statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.1 billion for the delivery of the young persons guarantee and future jobs fund. Work is ongoing to determine the specific costs of each initiative under mandation, but we are confident they will be delivered from within the funding.

Young Persons' Guarantee

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate her Department has made of  (a) the number of young people aged 18 to 24 years who will reach 12 months claiming jobseeker's allowance,  (b) the number of young people aged 18 to 24 years who will receive assistance from the Young Persons' Guarantee and  (c) how much the Young Persons' Guarantee will cost to deliver in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Jim Knight: We do not forecast unemployment figures; however we will guarantee an offer for all 18 to 24-year-olds approaching 12 months on jobseeker's allowance.
	The young person's guarantee is funded until 2010-11. £250 million has been allocated for 2009-10 and £843 million for 2010-11.

JUSTICE

Debt Collection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 958W, on debt collection, what assessment HM Courts Service made of the risk of persons in debt incurring further debts by charging bailiff payments to credit cards.

Bridget Prentice: The inclusion of credit card facilities extends the range of options available for payment. Payment routes available elsewhere were considered-there is precedent for the acceptance of credit and debit cards in other areas of public services. In addition, payment by credit card is already well established in many magistrates courts and all fixed penalty offices. Bailiffs operate under well-defined behaviour standards and there are no incentives to favour credit cards over the other current methods of repayment. There are a range of routes available to any debtor who genuinely cannot afford to pay. HM Courts Service is currently evaluating the scheme of taking payments by credit and debit cards. I am awaiting the results of the evaluation.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) photocopiers,  (b) scanning devices and  (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: As part of the Department's efforts to reduce its impact on the environment and comply with the Greening Government ICT strategy published in July 2008, a programme is underway across the MOJ headquarters to replace photocopiers and printers with multi-functional devices, which optimise the green benefits for printing and photocopying services.
	The following information has been obtained from central records covering MOJ headquarters, Her Majesty's Courts Service, Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian:
	 April 2008
	193 document scanners
	373 barcode scanners
	 April 2009
	202 document scanners
	378 barcode scanners.
	For the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), information is as follows:
	 April 2007
	2,309 fax machines; 476 scanners;
	 April 2008
	2,404 fax machines; 447 scanners;
	 April 2009( 1)
	439 scanners.
	(1) Fax machines purchased in April 2009 have been removed from the contract and the figure is therefore unavailable. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The other detailed information requested is not collected centrally and could only be obtained through a separate data gathering exercise which would incur disproportionate costs.

Driving under Influence: Convictions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women under the age of 18 were (i) proceeded against, (ii) found guilty and (iii) sentenced to immediate custody for offences of drink driving in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women have been (i) proceeded against, (ii) found guilty of and (iii) sentenced to immediate custody for a drink-driving offence in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: Available information held on prosecutions and resultant convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or taking drugs in England and Wales from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) are shown in the tables.
	The data provided covers both drink and drugs offences combined, as they cannot reliably be distinguished separately.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proceedings at magistrates courts, findings of guilt at all courts, sentenced to immediate custody, by gender, for persons under the age of 18 years for 'driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs', England and Wales 1997 to 2007( 1,2) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence type: driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 
			   Under 18 years 
			   Male  Female 
			   Proceeded against  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody 
			 1997 1,729 1,571 126 99 92 0 
			 1998 1,637 1,494 112 107 95 2 
			 1999 1,801 1,617 134 77 71 0 
			 2000 1,860 1,668 117 80 73 1 
			 2001 2,073 1,843 119 85 81 0 
			 2002 2,066 1,825 118 115 104 0 
			 2003 2,170 1,936 107 114 106 0 
			 2004 1,952 1,801 101 132 121 1 
			 2005 1,804 1,647 82 123 113 1 
			 2006 1,714 1,608 59 143 132 1 
			 2007 1,586 1,473 56 130 121 0 
			 (1) It is known that for some police force areas the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis unit, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proceedings at magistrates courts, findings of guilt at all courts, sentenced to immediate custody, by gender, for all persons for 'driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs', England and Wales 1997 to 2007( 1,2) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence type: Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 
			   All ages 
			   Male  Female 
			   Proceeded against  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Findings of guilt  Immediate custody 
			 1997 102,808 91,803 7,090 9,371 8,426 171 
			 1998 94,636 84,604 6,757 9,406 8,509 171 
			 1999 90,247 80,954 6,701 9,252 8,409 175 
			 2000 86,778 77,373 6,421 9,382 8,457 154 
			 2001 86,533 76,346 6,442 9,448 8,402 179 
			 2002 91,407 80,971 6,231 10,618 9,512 144 
			 2003 94,435 83,589 6,136 11,236 10,112 172 
			 2004 95,179 85,475 5,863 11,912 10,765 196 
			 2005 91,592 82,870 5,207 11,890 10,849 165 
			 2006 89,145 81,376 4,273 12,278 11,295 126 
			 2007 84,345 77,529 3,780 12,627 11,694 129 
			 (1) It is known that for some police force areas the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis unit, Ministry of Justice

Drugs: Convictions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences relating to the  (a) possession and  (b) supply of (i) cannabis and (ii) ecstasy in each year since 1997; and how many such people received (A) a custodial sentence and (B) the maximum sentence in each such year.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for the possession and supply of cannabis and ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine- MDMA), those sentenced to a custodial sentence and those receiving the maximum sentence, in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following tables.
	The statistics given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. For example, when a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn 2009.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for possession and supply of cannabis and ecstasy in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			   1997  1998  1999 
			Sentenced to:   Sentenced to:   Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 1,048 62 0 753 51 0 1,262 69 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 544 410 0 304 217 0 451 338 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 310 228 0 246 179 0 231 173 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 17,275 268 1 22,643 410 1 22,623 451 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 2,499 1,129 0 2,648 1,284 0 2,246 1,112 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis 1,414 650 1 1,442 656 0 1,168 573 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 1,048 62 0 753 51 0 1,262 69 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 544 410 0 304 217 0 451 338 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 310 228 0 246 179 0 231 173 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 17,275 268 1 22,643 410 1 22,623 451 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 2,499 1,129 0 2,648 1,284 0 2,246 1,112 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin 1,414 650 1 1,442 656 0 1,168 573 0 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002 
			Sentenced to:   Sentenced to:   Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 1,955 108 0 2,493 151 0 2,165 100 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 736 520 0 960 690 0 830 578 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 327 234 0 376 252 0 365 216 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 20,602 361 0 20,752 290 1 23,655 241 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 1,802 808 0 1,358 618 0 1,388 547 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis 842 405 0 613 265 0 592 258 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 1,955 108 0 2,493 151 0 2,165 100 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 736 520 0 960 690 0 830 578 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 327 234 0 376 252 0 365 216 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 20,602 361 0 20,752 290 1 23,655 241 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 1,802 808 0 1,358 618 0 1,388 547 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin 842 405 0 613 265 0 592 258 0 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			Sentenced to:   Sentenced to:   Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 2,009 81 0 1,853 60 0 1,677 61 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 746 461 0 603 394 0 557 342 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 219 127 0 172 100 0 167 91 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 25,714 288 0 (4)13,320 (4)161 (5)2 12,095 136 5 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 1,470 475 0 1,247 420 0 993 272 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis 522 222 0 456 156 0 393 135 0 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			Sentenced to:   Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA 1,539 62 0 1,590 70 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA 434 256 0 513 276 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) MDMA 169 81 0 169 73 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin 12,536 141 2 14,073 162 6 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin 957 240 0 958 232 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis 385 101 0 367 101 0 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for parsons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Cannabis was reclassified in January 2004 to a class C drug. Guidelines advised that offenders over the age of 18 could be given, for possession only, a cannabis warning which does not constitute a criminal record. (5) Following reclassification in January 2004 to a class C drug, statutory maximum penalty for possession of cannabis was downgraded from five to two years. The offenders shown here were sentenced to two years imprisonment although it is not known what maximum would have applied to these offenders on the day their offences took place.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis unit (OCJR-EA).

Freedom of Information

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which requests for information received by his Department under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in 2008 were  (a) classified as not resolvable and  (b) refused in full;
	(2)  in respect of which requests for information received by his Department in 2008 under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 it has received permission to extend the deadline for a response by more than 40 days; and what the reason for the request for an extension was in each case.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the performance of central Government in dealing with requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
	In 2008, the Ministry of Justice received 2,492 requests under the Act. Of these, 529 sought information which was not held by the Department, and in respect of a further 426, the requester was provided with advice and assistance because further information was needed in order to identify the information being sought. The remaining 1,537 requests were resolvable, in that it was possible for the Department to make a substantive decision on whether to release the information being requested, 393 of these were refused in full.
	Where a qualified exemption applies to information sought, the Freedom of Information Act allows public bodies additional time to consider whether the balance of the public interest falls in favour of releasing or withholding that information. Of those requests initially received by the Ministry of Justice during 2008 which were answered by the time the annual statistics were collected, the deadline for response was extended for more than 40 working days on 45 occasions.
	The 2008 statistics can be found at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/foi-statistics-report-2008.pdf

HM Prison Service: Secondment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of his Department have been seconded to HM Prison Service for the purposes of its bid for the next round of market testing.

Maria Eagle: 21 staff have been redeployed within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in response to the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor on 27 April 2009.

Interim Possession Order

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how long on average elapsed between an application for and a ruling on an Interim Possession Order in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The main administrative system in the county courts of England and Wales (CaseMan) recorded that in 2008 there were 299 applications for an Interim Possession Order. CaseMan does not identify which orders following these applications were made for interim possession, were rulings on these, or were other types of orders. However, the first order will often be for interim possession and the second a ruling on this. Of the 128 cases that involved a second order being made, the average (mean) time from application to the second possession order was 45 days, while the median time was 29 days.

Local Government Association

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will use his powers under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to designate the Local Government Association as a public authority for the purposes of the Act.

Michael Wills: In the Prime Minister's statement on Constitutional Renewal on 10 June 2009, he noted our plans to look at broadening the application of the Freedom of Information Act.
	We have considered carefully the responses to the public consultation on designating additional public authorities under the Act through a section 5 order and will publish our full response to the consultation by the summer.

Prisoners

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners aged (i) between 60 and 65 years, (ii) between 66 and 70 years, (iii) between 71 and 75 years, (iv) between 76 and 80 years and (v) over 80 years there were in April of each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the information requested for prison population in England and Wales as at 30 June in each year from 2002 to 2008. The data to provide figures for earlier years are not available centrally.
	
		
			   Age  bands 
			   60-65  66-70  71-75  76-80  over 80 
			  Female  
			 2002 17 4 2 0 0 
			 2003 22 7 4 0 1 
			 2004 13 6 3 1 3 
			 2005 21 4 1 1 1 
			 2006 38 7 2 2 0 
			 2007 44 9 4 1 0 
			 2008 48 11 4 1 1 
			   
			  Male  
			 2002 910 370 151 40 17 
			 2003 922 373 170 46 19 
			 2004 934 431 184 62 19 
			 2005 1,030 435 204 62 17 
			 2006 1,090 478 241 77 19 
			 2007 1,269 549 236 78 23 
			 2008 1,341 607 254 102 25 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Drugs

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisons operated a policy of five per cent. random mandatory drug testing in each financial year from 2002-03 to 2008-09; how many  (a) random and  (b) non-random tests were performed in such prisons in each such year; how many such tests were positive for (i) cannabis, (ii) opiates (excluding methadone), (iii) non-prescribed methadone and (iv) prescribed methadone;
	(2)  how many  (a) random and  (b) non-random mandatory drug tests were performed in each prison in each financial year from 2002-03 to 2008-09; and how many such tests were positive for (i) cannabis, (ii) opiates (excluding methadone), (iii) non-prescribed methadone and (iv) prescribed methadone in each prison in each such year.

Maria Eagle: The data requested are not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member once the information is available and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Probation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average ratio of offenders to Probation Service staff in the  (a) Thames Valley and  (b) Milton Keynes probation area was in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Staff:Offenders 
			   (a) All Thames Valley probation area staff  (b) All Milton Keynes probation office staff 
			 2005 1:8 1:11 
			 2006 1:9 1:10 
			 2007 1:10 1:11 
			 2008 1:9 1:14 
			 2009 1:8 1:12 
		
	
	
		
			  Offender Managers:Offenders 
			   (a) All Thames Valley probation area offender managers  (b) All Milton Keynes probation  office  offender managers 
			 2005 1:14 1:17 
			 2006 1:17 1:15 
			 2007 1:21 1:17 
			 2008 1:23 1:19 
			 2009 1:22 1:17 
		
	
	This information has been provided by Thames Valley Probation Area. The number of offenders includes some in custody who would be subject to probation supervision on release.

Probation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) community and  (b) custody caseload of the Probation Service has been in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The total community and pre-release custodial offender caseload for England and Wales as at 31 December since 2002 was as follows:
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Supervised in community
			 All court orders 116,125 120,734 128,217 137,377 146,532 150,179 146,725 
			 Post-release supervision 22,000 21,106 22,739 25,603 26,096 28,721 32,220 
			 
			  Supervised in custody 55,732 59,791 61,328 64,682 65,378 66,381 66,864 
			  Note: A new system for collecting probation workload data was introduced from 1 January 2002, making comparisons with earlier years unreliable (and so data prior to 2002 are not provided here). 
		
	
	The 2008 figures are provisional and were published on 30 April in the Ministry of Justice statistics bulletin Probation statistics quarterly brief October to December 2008, England and Wales. Copies can be found in the Libraries of the House. The final 2008 data will be published in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008 on 31 July.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding his Department allocated to the Essex Probation Service in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The grant allocation to Essex probation area for the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 20,147,200 
			 2007-08 19,091,300 
			 2006-07 18,322,200 
			 2005-06 16,923,000 
			 2004-05 15,494,300

Probation: Reoffenders

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many high-risk offenders committed further serious crimes in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk while under the supervision of the Probation Service in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The number of further serious crimes committed by high risk offenders in the East of England and more specifically in Suffolk, by offenders under the supervision of Probation areas in the region are as follows:
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 East of England 10 3 3 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 
		
	
	These figures relate to those offenders who were assessed as at high or very high risk of causing serious harm through the Offender Assessment System who were subsequently convicted of a serious further offence, committed while the offender was under probation supervision in the community. These figures include offences of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (section 18), although this offence was removed from the criteria of a serious further offence on 1 December 2008.

Probation: Staffordshire

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on levels of co-operation between the Probation Service and  (a) the police,  (b) HM Courts Service and  (c) the Crown Prosecution Service in the Staffordshire Probation Area of the proposed merger between Staffordshire Probation Service and West Midlands Probation Service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the level of management at which decisions relating to the operation of the Probation Service in Staffordshire are taken of the proposed merger between Staffordshire Probation Service and West Midlands Probation Service;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in  (a) administrative and  (b) staffing costs of the probation service in Staffordshire consequent on the proposed merger between Staffordshire Probation Service and West Midlands Probation Service.

Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice is aware of the proposed merger of the Staffordshire and West Midlands probation areas. A joint application is anticipated in July for trust status, although this may be delayed to later in the year.
	Any merger will require the continuation of very strong links with other criminal justice agencies, including the police, HM Courts Service and the Crown Prosecution Service. This will include continued active participation in the Staffordshire Local Criminal Justice Board public protection arrangements. The present chief probation officer for Staffordshire has met all the relevant agencies and explained the importance of local delivery and co-working in any trust arrangement. The proposed merger was discussed at the Staffordshire Criminal Justice Board meeting on the 28 April 2009 chaired by the then chief constable of Staffordshire Chris Sims. In a subsequent letter he said that members understood the merger and indicated strong support for the proposal based on local delivery units with devolved responsibilities. The Secretary of State will continue to require coterminus arrangements to be maintained with Staffordshire criminal justice agencies, should a merger of Staffordshire and West Midlands probation areas be approved.
	The Secretary of State in approving any trust application needs to be assured that management is properly devolved to the level of local delivery units. In the case of Staffordshire these units will be aligned will Staffordshire county and Stoke on Trent. The Secretary of State would expect to see a trust appoint to such management units staff at assistant chief officer level who are both experienced and competent to oversee performance and partnership working. In addition there will be a single chief executive and chair of joint Staffordshire and West Midlands Board who will be responsible for ensuring performance across the trust and effective local partnership in all the local delivery units and to ensure the efficient and effective stewardship of public funds, working under a contract to the director of offender management for the West Midlands region.
	The Secretary of State has made it clear in statements and answers to previous questions that any proposals on probation trust arrangements should come from local areas and not be provided either regionally or nationally. Individual probation boards, including Staffordshire, would have to consider the merits of merger based on business cases that would address both administrative and staffing costs.
	As the Secretary of State has yet to receive an application for the trust status by the combined area it is not possible to make a detailed estimate of changes to both administrative and staffing costs. However, any such proposal would have to demonstrate that front line delivery of probation service duties and responsibilities to protect the public and reduce re-offending will be maintained whilst overheads, administration and management costs would be reviewed. No budgets have been allocated to Staffordshire or West Midlands probation areas for the period beyond March 2010.

Remand in Custody: Ethnic Groups

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of those receiving a custodial remand who are black boys; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: In addition to conducting two studies of its own to map the level of young people from an ethnic minority background within the youth justice system and their particular needs, the Youth Justice Board is supporting a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Equality and Human Rights Commission to consider evidence relating to the representation of young people from an ethnic minority background within the youth justice system. This research will inform the work the Youth Justice Board and partner organisations are engaged in to address the needs of black and other ethnic minority young people.

Remand in Custody: Young People

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people under the age of 18 years who are remanded in custody; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will commission research into the reasons for the increase in the number of people under the age of 18 years of age remanded in custody since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board indicate that the number of young people under 18 remanded in custody or to local authority secure care has fallen significantly over the last few years. Since the peak year of 2003-04, court-ordered secure remands have fallen by 40 per cent. and remands in custody by 21 per cent.
	In each particular case it is for the court to decide, in the light of all the circumstances, whether to grant bail, to remand the young person to the care of a local authority or, if the young person is aged 17, to remand him or her in custody. (Some boys aged 15 and 16 may also be remanded in custody.)
	In the Youth Crime Action Plan, we indicated our intention to strengthen the response to youth crime at a local level, by supporting local authorities to provide earlier interventions and so reduce the need for custodial places. Youth Offending Teams have a range of non-secure remand options. These include remand fostering; bail support and curfew schemes; and the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, which includes electronic monitoring.

Remand in Custody: Young People

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission research into the reasons for the reduction in the use of non-secure remand to local authority accommodation for those under the age of 18 years of age since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board indicate that the peak year for remands of under-18s in the period in question was 2004-05. Between then and 2007-08, the total figure for remands of all kinds-secure and non-secure-fell by 33 per cent. Non-secure remands to local authority care fell by 36 per cent. The Youth Justice Board is monitoring these trends and is exploring ways of further incentivising local authorities to provide alternatives to custody.

Reoffenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences were committed by offenders recalled from release on licence but not yet returned to custody in each of the last 12 years; and what offences were committed in such circumstances in each such year.

Maria Eagle: The number of offences committed by offenders who have been recalled to prison and who have yet to be apprehended is not recorded centrally. To provide this information would require a manual interrogation of individual files and this would incur disproportionate cost.
	Between 1 January 1999 and 30 June 2008, 81,743 offenders were recalled to custody.

Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of people convicted of selling tobacco to a minor received  (a) a fine,  (b) a community sentence,  (c) a custodial sentence and  (d) an alternative punishment in each year since 1997; and what the (i) average, (ii) smallest and (iii) largest fine was in each such year.

Claire Ward: The available information is shown in the following table. Data for 2008 will not be available until Sentencing Statistics 2008 is published later in the year.
	
		
			  Offenders sentenced and disposals for selling tobacco to a minor and the average maximum and minimum fine, 1997 to 2007 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Fine (number) 90 115 90 113 74 67 82 50 56 51 49 
			 Fine (percentage) 80.4 89.1 88 2 84.3 82.2 87.0 88.2 87.7 81.2 89.5 98.0 
			 
			 Community Sentence (number) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Community Sentence (percentage) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 
			 Custodial Sentence (number) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Custodial Sentence (percentage) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 
			 Discharge (number) 22 14 12 21 16 9 11 7 13 5 1 
			 Discharge (percentage) 19.6 10.9 11.8 15.7 17.8 11.7 11.8 12.3 18.8 8.8 2.0 
			 
			 Otherwise Dealt With (number) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Otherwise Dealt With (percentage) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 0.0 
			 Total 112 129 102 134 90 77 93 57 69 57 50 
			 
			 Maximum Fine (£) 1,250 2,000 1,500 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,700 1,500 2,000 1,650 2,500 
			 Minimum Fine (£) 40 10 10 50 50 50 50 35 30 40 60 
			 Average (£) 238 226 237 349 301 283 322 274 328 330 324 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	The table shows the total number of persons sentenced to a fine, community sentence, custodial sentence or an alternative punishment for each year since 1997. The data also show the average maximum and minimum fine imposed on those sentenced for selling tobacco to a minor in each year. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence, the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences, the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Belarus: Human Rights

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 20-21W, on Belarus: human rights, what reports he has received of the death sentence passed in Belarus on 29 June 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The EU raised this case with the Belarusian authorities on 8 July 2009. We are disappointed that the death penalty was imposed following earlier efforts by the Belarusian authorities to reduce its use. Belarus is the last country in Europe to use the death penalty; its abolition would be an important step in improving EU-Belarus relations. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution on 23 June 2009 supporting the lifting of the suspension of Belarus' special guest status after a moratorium on the execution of death penalties.

Colombia: Overseas Aid

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 40-42WS, on Colombia, on what projects the £250,000 which has been allocated to tackle impunity will be spent; and how much will be allocated to each such project.

Chris Bryant: Tackling impunity in Colombia is a priority for our embassy in Bogota, and over £250,000 will be spent over the next two years on the following projects:
	investigating forced disappearances (£13,000)
	identifying victims of forced disappearance (£39,000)
	strengthening access to justice for internally displaced persons (£21,000)
	Impunity in the Context of Conflict project (£60,000)
	a UN Tackling Impunity project (£210,000)
	adjustment proposals for the new Accusatorial Criminal Justice System (£29,000)

Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the Government have made in their assessment of whether to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Ivan Lewis: The work being undertaken within Government to examine the potential impact of the Convention against Enforced Disappearance on the law of the UK is ongoing.
	This includes analysing the extent to which common law provisions may need to be replicated in statute law, the creation of one or more new criminal offences, and whether the UK required any reservations or declarations upon ratification. It is now clear that primary legislation would be necessary to permit ratification if the Government decide to pursue this course of action. This would be introduced when parliamentary time allowed.

Council of Ministers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions the Government have  (a) voted against and  (b) abstained on a proposal at the Council of Ministers for which a qualified majority has been obtained.

Chris Bryant: The Council of the European Union publicises these figures on their website. These can be found at:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?id=551lang=EN
	The figures for 2008 are eight abstentions and zero votes against. The same report shows that 270 legislative acts were adopted in 2008.

Departmental Accountancy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Resource Accounts 2008-09 were laid before Parliament and published as a combined document with the Departmental Report 2009 on 30 June 2009.

Diplomatic Service: Finance

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse of his Department's consular services was in each of the last 12 years.

Chris Bryant: Consular Services are funded from fees and not from general taxation. Our aim is to ensure that we cover our costs from fee income. The exception is capital funds which are funded from tax. However the yearly cost of capital, that is depreciation and interest, is covered by fee income.
	Cost of assistance to UK citizens abroad is covered by a levy of approx. £15 on all passports sold in the UK by the Identity and Passport Service and overseas by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). For around £1.50 a year, every British passport holder has at their disposal a global network of professionals who often provide the first line of support when things go wrong.
	Each crisis response, as agreed by HM Treasury (HMT), which costs greater than £150,000, is funded from the Emergency Disaster Reserve (EDR). The EDR funds are made up of a small fee levied on the passport price of approximately £1. These funds are held by the Treasury. The FCO has to make a substantive case to HMT to access these funds.
	For a fee we also issue passports overseas, as well as emergency and temporary passports.
	We charge for legalisation services to business and the public in the UK and overseas.
	There are another 60 notarial services that we provide overseas. Examples include birth and death registrations.
	The cost of Consular Services for the last eight years is shown as follows. The cost of collecting data beyond this period would be prohibitive, as it is not available on our current systems.
	This excludes the cost of crisis activity which is funded directly from the Treasury:
	
		
			  Period  Cost (£ million) 
			 2008-09 126.4 
			 2007-08 123.3 
			 2006-07 104.1 
			 2005-06 85.1 
			 2004-05 93.3 
			 2003-04 69.9 
			 2002-03 60.6 
			 2001-02 56.3 
		
	
	Consular is continually looking at ways to bring costs into closer alignment with income by delivering value-for money services, promoting efficiencies and reviewing its fees.

Eritrea: Prisoners

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Eritrean Government on arrests of UK nationals in Eritrea; and how many such people have been arrested there in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: From our consular records we are aware of four British nationals who have been arrested or detained in Eritrea since 2004.
	In one case we were informed of the detention only after the individual had been released. In the other three cases we contacted the authorities to clarify the situation and requested consular access.
	Of those three cases, two were subsequently released. We have been unable to confirm the release of the other individual, as the Eritrean authorities do not acknowledge the UK's interest in the person concerned (a dual British-Eritrean national resident in Eritrea) as a British national, and will not discuss the case with consular staff, despite representations.

India

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to assist the Indian Government in implementing witness protection programmes for Christians in Orissa.

Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to discuss with the Indian Government the protection of Christians called as witnesses in trials relating to the recent violence in Orissa.
	The EU maintains a constructive dialogue with the Indian authorities about human rights and minority rights issues, which includes the situation in Orissa and its neighbouring states following the violence in 2008. Officials from our high commission have an active part in these discussions.

India: Christianity

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of India to urge that Mr Manoj Pradhan, Member of the Legislative Assembly in Orissa, is brought to trial on the charges which have been made against him.

Ivan Lewis: Since this is a legal matter for the relevant Indian authorities we have no plans to raise this bilaterally with the Indian Government.

India: Females

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had discussions with the Indian government on sexual violence against Dalit women in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not discussed sexual violence against Dalit women directly with the Indian Government in the last 12 months. However, UK officials in New Delhi have actively participated in the ongoing EU dialogue with the Indian authorities on minority rights, including Dalit related issues.

International Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the UK's business competitiveness in international markets in each of the last three years; and against which competitors each assessment was made.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 3 July 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, on 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 190-91W.

Israel: Egypt

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of  (a) Israel and  (b) Egypt on the transport of goods into Gaza through crossing points.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is extremely concerned with the current humanitarian situation in Gaza. It is vital that aid reaches the people in who need it. We will continue to press the Israeli Government into easing border restrictions and ensuring there is better humanitarian access into the area. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made this clear in his meeting with the Israeli Defence Minister-Ehud Barak on 6 July 2009 and also in his conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister-Avigdor Lieberman on 30 June 2009.
	My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), raised the issue of access through the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid providers with the Egyptian Government when he was in Egypt on 21 May 2009. The Egyptian Government have told us that all aid to Gaza from Egypt should be channelled through the Egyptian Red Crescent.

Kenya

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instigate a public inquiry into the conduct of the British colonial administration in Kenya during the 1950s emergency in that country; what recent representations his Department has received on the treatment of Kenyans by the British colonial administration in this period from  (a) (i) Governments and (ii) citizens of Kenya and  (b) others; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: There is no public inquiry planned into the conduct of the British colonial administration in Kenya during the 1950s.
	We are aware that a group of Mau Mau veterans, backed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, plan to sue the Government for alleged human rights abuses carried out by the Kenyan colonial administration during the emergency period. Our high commissioner in Nairobi met their representatives before they travelled to London last month and noted their right to take their case to the courts. They have also written to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on this issue.

Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on nuclear non-proliferation of the recent agreement between Russian President Medvedev and US President Obama on nuclear arms reduction.

Ivan Lewis: We welcome the 'joint understanding' by Presidents Obama and Medvedev on 6 July 2009 to reduce the US and Russian nuclear arsenals to below 1,700 warheads each and their commitment to co-operate more closely on non-proliferation.
	A reduction in the size of US and Russian arsenals is one of the conditions necessary for moving towards a world free from nuclear weapons. The UK will continue to work towards this long-term goal and the strengthening of all three pillars of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, while tackling the issue of nuclear security.

Sri Lanka: India

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on anti-religious conversion laws in  (a) Sri Lanka and  (b) India.

Ivan Lewis: We continue to monitor religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka. A wide range of issues including religious freedom were raised at the last round of the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue which took place in New Delhi on 27 February 2009. In addition the Government work bilaterally with the Government of India in supporting efforts to tackle human rights issues. We regularly raise a wide range of human rights issues with the Sri Lankan Government including any legislation that reduces religious freedoms protected by international human rights law. We are aware that the draft Forcible Conversions Bill, relating to religious freedoms Sri Lanka, is currently awaiting further discussion in the Sri Lankan Parliament. The EU expressed its concern at the draft Bill in a statement on 23 February 2009.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits have been made to Tamil refugee camps in Sri Lanka by representatives of his Department in the last 12 months; and what recent representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka on the operation of those camps.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 14 July 2009
	Representatives from our high commission in Colombo regularly visit the camps for internally-displaced persons in northern Sri Lanka, most recently on 16 to 18 June 2009. We take every available opportunity to urge the Sri Lankan Government to ensure the camps meet international standards. We continue to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to work in partnership with the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies to address the ongoing needs of internally displaced persons and to ensure they are able to return to their homes as soon as possible.

CABINET OFFICE

Eating Disorders: Death

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths resulting from an eating disorder were recorded in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005,  (c) 2006,  (d) 2007 and  (e) 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths resulting from an eating disorder were recorded in (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006, (d) 2007 and (e) 2008. (286696)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where an eating disorder was the underlying cause of death, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2008.
	It is likely that these figures underestimate the actual number of deaths where an eating disorder was involved. This is because deaths registered after a coroner's inquest usually state the immediate physical condition which caused death as the underlying cause, and not any mental or behavioural disorder which may have led to that condition.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where an eating disorder was the underlying cause of death,( 1)  England and Wales,( 2)  2004-08( 3,4) 
			  Persons 
			   Deaths 
			 2004 16 
			 2005 16 
			 2006 21 
			 2007 17 
			 2008 24 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code F50 (Eating disorders). (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (4) Figures for deaths registered in 2008 are provisional.

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of the working age population in employment in the UK consisted of  (a) UK nationals,  (b) UK born people,  (c) non-UK nationals,  (d) non-UK EU nationals and  (e) non-EU nationals in (i) each year since 1992 and (ii) the last four quarters for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the working age population in employment in the UK consisted of (a) UK nationals, (b) UK born people, (c) non-UK nationals, (d) non-UK EU nationals and (e) non-EU nationals in (i) each year since 1992 and (ii) the last four quarters for which figures are available. (286460)
	The available information requested is shown in the attached table. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics Statistical Bulletin, or the migrant worker figures published every quarter, which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  Proportion of working age( 1)  population in employment by nationality and country of birth. Three month periods ending March 1995 to 2008; three month periods ending June, September, December and March, 2008 to 2009. United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			   UK nationals  UK born  Non-UK nationals  Non-UK EU nationals( 2)  Non-EU nationals 
			 1995 Q1 97 93 3 2 2 
			 1996 Q1 97 93 3 2 2 
			 1997 Q1 96 93 3 2 2 
			 1998 Q1 96 92 4 2 2 
			 1999 Q1 96 92 4 2 2 
			 2000 Q1 96 92 4 2 2 
			 2001 Q1 96 92 4 2 3 
			 2002 Q1 95 91 5 2 3 
			 2003 Q1 95 91 5 2 3 
			 2004 Q1 95 91 5 2 3 
			 2005 Q1 94 90 6 2 4 
			 2006 Q1 94 89 6 3 4 
			 2007 Q1 93 88 7 3 4 
			 2008 Q1 92 87 8 4 4 
			 2008 Q2 92 87 8 4 4 
			 2008 Q3 92 87 8 4 4 
			 2008 Q4 92 87 8 4 5 
			 2009 Q1 92 87 8 4 4 
			 (1) Men aged 16-94 and women aged 16-59. (2) The EU comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The A8 (Czech Republic Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and are included from 2005 Q1 onwards. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007 and are included from 2007 Q1 onwards.  Note: The above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels mobile home sites etc.).  Source: Labour Force Survey

Employment: North East

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside and  (c) the North East have claimed jobseeker's allowance in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people have been unemployed for  (a) up to six months,  (b) between six and 12 months and  (c) 12 months and over in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside and (iii) the North East in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many people were in  (a) part-time and  (b) temporary work in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside and (iii) the North East in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many people were self-employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside and  (c) the North East in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how may people have claimed jobseeker's allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East in each year since 1997; how many people have been unemployed for (a) up to six months, (b) between six and 12 months and (c) 12 months and over in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside and (iii) the Norm East in each year since 1997; how many people have been in (a) part-time and (b) temporary work in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside and (iii) the North East in each year since 1997; and how many people have been self-employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East in each year since 1997.(286607,286340,286341,286342)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the Annual Labour Force Survey (LFS). The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance is compiled for Jobcentre Plus administrative data.
	Table 1 shows the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance resident in the requested geographies for June of each year since 1997. The latest data for May 2009 has also been provided.
	Table 2 shows the number of people unemployed by the duration of unemployment resident in the North East. Estimates for Jarrow parliamentary constituency and South Tyneside are not available. Estimates are also not available for the 12 month period ending February 1998.
	Table 3 shows the number of people in part-time and temporary work resident in the requested geographies. Estimates of temporary workers for the Jarrow parliamentary constituency are not available. Estimates of temporary workers are also not available for the 12 month period ending February 1998.
	Table 4 shows the number of self-employed people resident in the requested geographies in each year.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment and unemployment are available from the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside and the North East 
			  Thousand 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East 
			 June 1997 3 7 91 
			 June 1998 3 6 81 
			 June 1999 3 7 80 
			 June 2000 3 6 72 
			 June 2001 2 5 61 
			 June 2002 2 5 58 
			 June 2003 2 4 53 
			 June 2004 2 4 45 
			 June 2005 2 4 45 
			 June 2006 2 4 50 
			 June 2007 2 4 48 
			 June 2008 2 4 49 
			 May 2009 3 7 86 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of people unemployed by duration of unemployment resident in the North East 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Less than 6 months  6 months to less than 12 months  12 months or more 
			 February 1998 - - - 
			 February 1999 47 14 33 
			 February 2000 53 22 33 
			 February 2001 47 16 28 
			 February 2002 46 14 25 
			 February 2003 44 12 21 
			 February 2004 50 10 18 
			 December 2004 44 10 16 
			 December 2005 42 11 16 
			 December 2006 50 14 21 
			 December 2007 44 13 19 
			 December 2008(1) *56 **15 **23 
			 '-' = not available (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV)(%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV≤ 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV≤ 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV≤ 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Annual Population Survey/Annual Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: The number of people in part-time and temporary work resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside and the North East 
			  Thousand 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East 
			  12 months ending  Part-time  Temporary work  Part-time  Temporary work  Part-time  Temporary work 
			 February 1998 11 - 18 - 281 - 
			 February 1999 9 - 15 5 270 79 
			 February 2000 9 - 15 5 286 76 
			 February 2001 9 - 16 4 278 80 
			 February 2002 10 - 18 5 276 78 
			 February 2003 9 - 16 5 277 71 
			 February 2004 9 - 16 5 279 65 
			 December 2004 7 - 13 4 284 58 
			 December 2005 8 - 16 4 293 54 
			 December 2006 9 - 15 4 285 67 
			 December 2007 10 - 18 4 297 67 
			 December 2008(1) ***8 ****- **15 ***4 *288 *63 
			 '-' = not available (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV)(%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV≤ 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV≤ 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV≤ 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Annual Population Survey/Annual Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: The number of people self employed resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside and the North East 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East 
			 February 1998 3 5 97 
			 February 1999 3 5 100 
			 February 2000 2 5 99 
			 February 2001 2 4 92 
			 February 2002 2 5 82 
			 February 2003 2 4 89 
			 February 2004 2 4 89 
			 December 2004 2 4 95 
			 December 2005 3 5 105 
			 December 2006 2 5 103 
			 December 2007 4 6 107 
			 December 2008(1) ***4 ***6 *112 
			 (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV)(%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV≤ 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV≤ 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV≤ 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Annual Population Survey/Annual Labour Force Survey

Government Departments: Recruitment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that recruitment agencies which advertise vacancies on behalf of the Government do not require candidates to have obtained security clearance to obtain an interview.

Tessa Jowell: It is Government policy that an existing security clearance should not be specified as a pre-requisite for recruitment, except in certain defined circumstances. The Cabinet Office has regular contact with the Recruitment and Employers Confederation and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies to ensure that its membership, which includes recruitment agencies, is aware of the policy.

Statistical Indices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what statistical indices have been used to measure levels of happiness and well-being in the UK in the last 30 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what statistical indices have been used to measure levels of happiness and well being in the UK in the past 30 years. (286294)
	The general approach to measuring happiness is to assess life satisfaction, both overall and for particular aspects of life, by surveys. The question How satisfied are you with your life overall these days?, with a response scale of 1-10, has been included in a number of studies over time, including the British Household Panel Survey, managed by the Institute for Economic and Social Research at Essex University. Summary results from these studies have been reported in the Office for National Statistics' Social Trends publication and elsewhere.
	The Department for Food and Rural Affair's Sustainable Development Indicator set now includes wellbeing measures, including survey results on life satisfaction.
	The new economics foundation (nef) has calculated a Happy Planet Index which combines environmental impact with wellbeing to measure the environmental efficiency with which people in the UK and in other countries live long and happy lives. The nef has also published National Accounts of Wellbeing, which use a variety of indicators to reflect aspects of how people experience their lives.
	The ONS is currently reviewing these and other approaches to measuring the wellbeing of UK society, to complement the long-established measures of economic wellbeing published regularly in the economic National Accounts. We have placed a number of reports and links on the ONS website, at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=15205Pos=1ColRank=1Rank=240

Lord Ashcroft: Taxation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department has received provisional recommendations from the Information Commissioner in relation to the request by the hon. Member for Pendle under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for information on the assurances given by Lord Ashcroft on his tax status prior to his elevation to the peerage.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 13 July 2009
	It is not Cabinet Office practice to comment on ongoing investigations by the Information Commissioner.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment was made of the effectiveness of the City Technology College programme when developing Government policy on academies; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: There was no formal assessment of City Technology Colleges used in the development of the Academies programme. However, the contribution of external sponsors, the use of greater freedoms and innovation in learning and ICT were all characteristics of CTCs that influenced the development of the Academies programme.
	All but three of the original CTCs have converted to Academy status, and a number have sponsored new Academy projects.

Academies

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will assess the effect of policies on  (a) diplomas and  (b) academies on (i) local democratic accountability of the education system and (ii) levels of educational inequality.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently still in the first year of diploma teaching so it is too early to assess its impact on local accountability. Each diploma line of learning will be evaluated for the first three years after roll out and we will analyse the findings of the evaluation to ensure the implementation is having a positive impact on the education system.
	One of the main aims of diplomas is to widen educational participation among young people. Data on the types of learners taking up diploma places will be available for analysis later this year, and this will help us to identify and address any areas of inequality.
	With regards to academies and local accountability, all academies must have a local authority governor and a parent governor. Governing bodies are bound by law to act in the best interest of the academy, its pupils and the local community. They must set out their proposals for working with other schools and the wider community in their annual development plan. All academies are inspected by Ofsted on the same basis as other schools, and their results are published along with all maintained schools.
	A major goal of the academies programme is to tackle educational inequality and there are a number of measures that guarantee this is achieved. To ensure a fair admissions process, academies, like maintained schools, are required to follow the School Admissions Code. The independent PricewaterhouseCoopers evaluation said that there was no evidence that academies have a negative impact on neighbouring schools in terms of pupil profile and therefore not created any inequalities.
	The School Census shows that the proportion of pupils with special education needs (with and without statements) in academies is 29.5 per cent.-compared to an average of 19.2 per cent. for all schools. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in academies is 33.8 per cent.-compared to an average of 14.4 per cent. for maintained secondary schools. Between 2007 and 2008 the rate of improvement for pupils gaining 5 A*-C grades (including English and maths) that attend academies and are eligible for free school meals has been double the national improvement rate, 5.3 percentage points compared to 2.4 percentage points.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria Partnerships for Schools use to assess the readiness of local authorities to join the reformed Building Schools for the Future programme.

Vernon Coaker: A Readiness to Deliver assessment covers: educational transformation; project deliverability; investment strategy; affordability and value for money; local resources and capability; and benefits realisation. In essence, local authorities have to prove that they are ready to deliver a clear education vision and estate strategy that will show how the investment through Building Schools for the Future will help improve education for every young person and deliver best value to the public purse.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to paragraph 6.21, page 121, of Budget 2009, what his most recent assessment is of progress made by the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in changing its procurement model so as to enable BSF projects with Partnership for Schools to join the programme on a gradual basis.

Vernon Coaker: In March this year, we announced the revised national programme for Building Schools for the Future (BSF), in line with the proposals of our consultation last year, based on the revised expressions of interest which authorities had proposed, including initial projects from authorities which have not yet started in BSF, and prioritised on the educational and social need of schools in the projects. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) then had meetings with prioritised authorities to discuss their readiness to deliver. A total of 23 authorities provided evidence of their readiness to deliver, and PfS is evaluating this evidence with a view to recommending to me the first projects which are fully ready to start in BSF. We aim shortly to give further details.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to paragraph 14, page 8 of the National Audit Office report on Financial management in the Department for Children, Schools and Families, HC 267, Session 2008-09, for what reasons the Building Schools for the Future programme has an under spend of £2.4 billion.

Vernon Coaker: There are three key reasons for the delays in some of the early local authority Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects which caused an underspend:
	the original expectations of project completion dates were over-optimistic, given the scale of the programme and the aspiration of achieving a step-change in educational outcomes from the capital investment;
	many local authorities in the early waves of BSF found identifying and resourcing the necessary project management skill sets to deliver the programme more challenging than expected;
	many of the local authorities selected for the early waves of BSF also had the biggest challenges to manage, were pioneering the processes, and were at the forefront of resolving unexpected difficulties with innovative solutions.
	Current plans indicate that all funds made available to the BSF programme since 2005 will have been allocated to projects by March 2011.

Child Minding

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what changes have been made to the methods of recording the number of places provided by childminders since September 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 19 June 2009
	These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 6 July 2009:
	Your parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	The method used by Ofsted to record numbers of childcare places changed with the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in September 2008. Ofsted now holds two registers, the Early Years Register (for settings providing for children between birth and aged five) and the Childcare Register. The Childcare Register has two components, the compulsory register (for settings providing for children aged between five and seven) and the voluntary register (for settings providing for children older than aged eight). These registers replace the single register previously held for settings providing for children between birth and aged seven.
	For providers only registered on the Early Years Register, or those registered on both the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the only change is to the breakdown of age ranges recorded on the new registers.
	For those providers only registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, there is no maximum number of places stipulated. The maximum number of places a setting on the other registers can offer is set out in their conditions of registration.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 989W, on children: databases, by what date he expects all local authority ContactPoint teams to have been given access to ContactPoint.

Dawn Primarolo: All local authorities have had access to ContactPoint for shielding records, however, full access to ContactPoint will not be given to all local authorities until the ContactPoint management teams have completed the necessary training.
	All Early Adopter local authorities and Early Adopter national partners have completed such training. For local authorities and national partners that are not early adopters, we expect ContactPoint management teams to be trained between June and August, so that all local authority ContactPoint management teams should have access to ContactPoint by autumn.

Children: Disabled

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what monitoring his Department plans to undertake to ensure that Aiming High for Disabled Children short break funding meets its objectives in respect of the provision of services to  (a) disabled children and  (b) disabled children with palliative care needs.

Diana Johnson: The Department has contracted with Together for Disabled Children (TDC) to support local authority and PCT delivery of the short breaks programme. TDC tracks local area progress both in terms of the work undertaken to improve services and the growth in provision and number of additional disabled children in receipt of breaks. Local authorities are expected to collect information on short breaks provision to enable this tracking to take place. The information collected does not however distinguish as to whether breaks are received as part of a package of palliative care.

Children: Disabled

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to ensure access for local voluntary sector providers to the Aiming High for Disabled Children short breaks funding distributed to local authorities.

Diana Johnson: The Department is advising local authorities on short break commissioning through two intermediary bodies: Together for Disabled Children and the Commissioning Support Programme. Advisors from both agencies support local authorities in securing appropriate providers, including local voluntary sector bodies.
	The Department will also shortly launch a website for short break providers and local authority and primary care trust commissioners on which local providers can advertise their short break services.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to improve child protection services in Doncaster.

Dawn Primarolo: In response to the inadequate judgments in Doncaster Metropolitan borough council's 2008 annual performance assessment, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) commissioned a comprehensive diagnostic review of the council's children's services. The diagnostic review confirmed the seriousness of inadequate performance in Doncaster and, in response, the Secretary of State issued a direction under section 497A of the Education Act 1996, to the effect that the council was directed to secure a new senior leadership team for children's services, to prepare an Improvement Plan, and to appoint an Improvement Board with an independent Chair, Tony Elson, to oversee improvements. On 1 April, the council appointed Gareth Williams, Director of Children's Services (DCS) for Leicestershire county council, as interim DCS for Doncaster on a six month secondment. The council has prepared an Improvement Plan, which is being implemented. DCSF is supporting the council to secure a new senior leadership team for children's services for the longer term.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of his Department's capital underspend in 2009-10; and how much of that sum he proposes to return to the Exchequer.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families is not anticipating a capital underspend at this stage of the current financial year (2009-10).

Education: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many  (a) maintained comprehensive and  (b) independent schools have applied for funding to teach the pre-U qualification;
	(2)  how many pupils are studying for the Cambridge pre-U examination in  (a) maintained comprehensive schools and  (b) independent schools.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 July 2009
	Post-16 funding allocations to maintained schools are made on the basis of overall learners' volumes and not by qualification type. It is not possible to provide information on the allocation of funding to maintained schools for the pre-U qualification. DCSF does not fund independent schools.
	It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of pupils studying for the pre-U qualification. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 535W.

Further Education

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the relevance of diploma qualifications to the needs of employers; and what steps he is taking to take employers' views into account when revising the content and structure of diplomas.

Iain Wright: Diplomas were created through consultation with over 5,000 employers, and employers lead the Diploma Development Partnerships responsible for developing diploma content. We have a network of over 100 Diploma Employer Champions who support Diplomas and act as champions for them in their sectors. Many employers are actively engaging in the delivery of diplomas, working directly with schools and colleges in their local areas, reinforcing the principle that diplomas are applied learning in the workplace. The Employer Task Force, which will be launched in the autumn, will provide further opportunities for employers to become involved with diploma delivery.
	We are still in the first year of teaching of the diploma and so have no plans to revise content and structure. We are evaluating the first three years of delivery for each of the four phases of diplomas and this will include an evaluation of employer involvement.

Head Teachers: Age

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average age of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school head teachers was in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the average age of full-time head teachers in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England, March 1997 to 2008, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average age of full-time head teachers in local authority maintained schools. Coverage: England. Years: March 1997 to 2008 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 1997 48 49 
			 1998 48 49 
			 1999 48 50 
			 2000 49 50 
			 2001 49 50 
			 2002 49 50 
			 2003 50 51 
			 2004 50 50 
			 2005 50 51 
			 2006(1) 50 51 
			 2007(1) 50 51 
			 2008(1) 49 51 
			 (1 )Provisional.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest whole year.  Source: Database of Teacher Records.

Higher Education: Finance

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much mainstream grant funding was allocated by the Training and Development Agency for Schools to  (a) the University of York and  (b) York St. John University in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The recurrent mainstream funding amounts allocated by the Training and Development Agency for schools for academic years 1996/97 and 2009/10 are as follows:
	
		
			   Funding (£) 
			  University of York  
			 1996/97 471,263 
			 2009/10 778,880 
			   
			  York St. John University  
			 1996/97 2,168,728 
			 2009/10 3,773,560 
		
	
	These figures exclude grant allocated to cover student support costs and employment-based initial teacher training provision.

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to provide a substantive response to the letter from a constituent of the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight of 22 April 2009, ref ART 63589019765, on that constituent's daughter.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The correspondence from the hon. Member's constituent was addressed to the Student Loans Company, and no direct contact was made with the Department.

National Curriculum Tests

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what meetings he has had in the last 12 months on the proposal to move Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests to June; and who was present at each meeting.

Vernon Coaker: The Expert Group on Assessment consulted widely before publishing its recommendations, including the proposal to move Key Stage National Curriculum tests to June. The Department has accepted the group's recommendations in full. Ministers have met regularly with officials to discuss the group's proposals, including the recommendation to move Key Stage 2 National Curriculum test dates to June.

National Curriculum Tests

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whom he consulted on proposals to change the announced dates for Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests.

Vernon Coaker: The Expert Group on Assessment consulted widely before publishing its recommendations, including the proposal to move key stage national curriculum tests to June. The Department has accepted the group's recommendations in full.
	Having taken account of advice from the Qualification and Standards Authority (QCA) and the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual), tests in 2010 will take place as planned in the week commencing 10 May. We will seek to implement the expert group's recommendation on moving the test to mid June in 2011; this will help to strengthen transition arrangements for year 6 pupils; it will also help to embed our Assessment for Learning strategy and the role of teacher assessment.

National Curriculum Tests: Public Consultation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will hold a public consultation on  (a) the proposals in the report recently produced by the Expert Group on Assessment and  (b) the proposal to move Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests to June;
	(2)  whom he has consulted on his Department's proposal to hold Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests in June.

Vernon Coaker: The Expert Group on Assessment consulted widely before publishing its recommendations, including the proposal to move Key Stage National Curriculum tests to June. The Department has accepted the group's recommendations in full.
	Having taken account of advice from the Qualification and Standards Authority (QCA) and the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual), tests in 2010 will take place as planned in the week commencing 10 May. We will seek to implement the Expert Group's recommendation on moving the test to mid June in 2011; this will help to strengthen transition arrangements for year 6 pupils; it will also help to embed our Assessment for Learning strategy and the role of teacher assessment.

Ofsted: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Ofsted inspectors of children's services have degrees in social work.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 26 June 2009
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 9 July 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Information relating to the academic level of qualifications held by inspectors was not provided to Ofsted when social care inspectors transferred from the Commission for Social Care Inspection in April 2007. As of 26 June 2009, Ofsted employs 44 Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) with a social care background, who manage and undertake inspections of local authority children's services. Ofsted also employs 149 social care inspectors, who regulate and inspect a range of social care providers, such as residential homes, fostering and adoption agencies.
	Of the 44 HMI, 42 hold a social work qualification recognised by the General Social Care Council, the qualification required for social work practice. These qualifications were awarded at different academic levels depending on the course attended (from the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work to a Masters degree) but all hold the same professional status. The requirement to hold a degree as the minimum level of social work qualification was only introduced in 2003. One HMI holds a residential work qualification which is not recognised as a social work qualification.
	The 149 social care inspectors hold a variety of social work, social care and related qualifications and had considerable experience in providing children's social care services prior to joining Ofsted.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Play: Finance

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding each local authority in Greater Manchester awarded funding under the National Play Strategy in December 2008 has received to date; and how much on average each local authority in England was awarded under the National Play Strategy in December 2008.

Vernon Coaker: Following the commitments made in the Children's Plan in 2007 and the national Play Strategy in 2008, every top-tier local authority in England will receive either play pathfinder or playbuilder funding between 2008-11 through the play capital investment programme.
	Of the 152 top-tier local authorities, 30 are play pathfinder authorities and the remaining 122 local authorities are all playbuilder authorities. On average, every play pathfinder authority will receive around £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding, over the current spending period 2008-09 to 2010-11. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.
	Local authorities have joined the programme, and so started receiving their funding, in two phases: wave 1 started in April 2008 and wave 2 in April 2009. Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and Tameside are all wave 1 authorities, while the other six authorities in the Greater Manchester area (City of Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Wigan) joined the programme in April 2009. Of these, 10 local authorities, both Rochdale and Wigan are play pathfinders, while the others are all playbuilder authorities.
	The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocated to Greater Manchester authorities and the phase they each joined the capital play programme. Allocations for 2010-11 are indicative and will be confirmed in February 2010.
	Decisions on where the capital funding is spent within local authority boundaries are taken locally, based on grant requirements around improved play spaces being provided where they are most needed and based on a robust consultation process with local children and young people, families and wider communities.
	We are encouraging all Members of Parliament to proactively engage with their local play capital programmes as they roll out, and we are asking local authorities to ensure that their local Members of Parliament and council elected members are appropriately consulted, and briefed, about where the capital funding is spent.
	
		
			  Wave 1 authorities 
			  £ 
			   Capital funding  Revenue funding 
			  Local authority  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Bolton 351,984 390,628 440,319 12,662 19,912 13,274 
			 Bury 293,307 389,180 438,686 12,465 19,646 13,097 
			 Rochdale 595,624 1,573,332 n/a(1) 139,346 218,794 145,863 
			 Tameside 298,756 388,987 438,469 12,606 19,802 13,202 
			 (1) Wave 1 play pathfinder authorities receive capital funding in 2008-09 and 2009-10 only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Wave 2 authorities 
			  £ 
			   Capital funding  Revenue funding 
			  Local authority  2009-10  2010-11  2009-10  2010-11 
			 City of Manchester 539,934 608,617 27,663 18,442 
			 Oldham 532,243 599,948 27,618 18,412 
			 Salford 531,457 599,062 27,561 18,374 
			 Stockport 526,916 593,944 26,991 17,994 
			 Trafford 526,656 593,650 26,985 17,990 
			 Wigan 1,117,998 1,011,522 297,747 198,498

Playgrounds: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding his Department has provided for the enhancement of public play facilities in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Following the commitments made in the Children's Plan in 2007 and the national Play strategy in 2008, every top tier local authority in England will receive either play pathfinder or playbuilder funding between 2008-11 through the play capital investment programme.
	On average all play pathfinder authorities will receive around £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.
	Local authorities have joined the programme, and so started receiving their funding, in two phases: Wave 1 started in April 2008 and Wave 2 in April 2009. Hertfordshire is a Wave 2 playbuilder authority and will receive capital funding of £541,001 in 2009-10 and £609,820 in 2010-11 and revenue funding of £27,633 in 2009-10 and £18,422 in 2010-11. Allocations for 2010-11 are indicative and will be confirmed in February 2010.
	Decisions on where the capital funding is spent within local authority boundaries are taken locally, based on grant requirements around improved play spaces being provided where they are most needed and based on a robust consultation process with local children and young people, families and wider communities.
	We are encouraging all members of parliament to proactively engage with their local play capital programmes as they roll out, and we are asking local authorities to ensure that their local members of parliament and council elected members are appropriately consulted, and briefed, about where the capital funding is spent.

Primary Education: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funds have been allocated to the Primary Capital Programme for the financial year  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Vernon Coaker: Taking into account the adjustments made following requests by some local authorities to bring forward funding in support of the Government's fiscal stimulus measures, the breakdown of funding allocated to support delivery of the programme nationally is:
	 (a) 2009-10: £757 million;
	 (b) 2010-11: £893 million.

Qualification: Social Work

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the grade is of the most senior member of staff at Ofsted with a qualification in social work.

Dawn Primarolo: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 9 July 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	The grade of the most senior members of staff at Ofsted to hold a qualification in social work is Deputy Director, equivalent to senior civil service (SCS) pay band 1. Two individuals hold posts at this grade.
	As part of internal restructuring announced last September, Ofsted is currently recruiting a Director, Development (Social Care). She or he is required to hold a professional qualification in social work and to demonstrate 'relevant knowledge and experience as a senior manager of social work and child protection services'.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Rehabilitation: Lincolnshire

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 1069-70W, and 1434W, on rehabilitation: Lincolnshire, where the 35 residential places are located.

Dawn Primarolo: The available beds, along with details of the support offered, are set out in the following table. These places represent only a small part of residential provision that can be accessed for young people with complex needs, where substance misuse is one factor. Local authority commissioners also meet young people's needs through a combination of fostering or children's home placements and specialist substance misuse community based services. This will often allow young people to be supported in an environment closer to their own community.
	
		
			  Number of beds  Location  Provider  Description of support offered 
			 5 Lincolnshire Middlegate Lodge Registered Children's Home. Offers residential placement with an emphasis on detox and rehabilitation. Additional education and other services are also provided. 
			 11 Maidenhead Huntercombe Registered Children's Home. Combines mental health and substance misuse services. Offers detox and rehabilitation programmes. 
			 3 Staffordshire Companions Registered Children's Home. Provides intensive, long-term care for young people whose complex needs are severe and include substance misuse. 
			 16 (women only) Peterborough Clare Lodge Secure Children's Home. Offers placements under Section 25 of the Children's Act 1989 for 10 to 17-year-olds with self-harm, substance misuse or other complex needs.

Religion: Education

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how the £1 million spent by his Department on strengthening the teaching of  (a) religious education and  (b) identity and diversity has been allocated.

Diana Johnson: The £1 million announced in January 2008 was to be spent specifically on the Religious Education Action Plan and not on the identity and diversity strand which falls within Citizenship Education. The money has been allocated as follows:
	
		
			  Item  2008-11 (£) 
			 1. RE Partnership support 120,000 
			 2. Updating and disseminating the existing guidance on RE 60,000 
			 3. National programme of recruitment and training for local Standing Advisory Councils on RE 100,000 
			 4. Support to National Association of Teachers of RE 240,000 
			 5. Continuing Professional Development Handbook for RE 100,000 
			 6. Review of materials used in schools to teach world religions and their contribution to community cohesion 300,000 
			 7. DCSF/REC Adviser 40,000 
			 Total 960,000

Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's publication, Your child, your schools, our future, how many and what proportion of the case studies were assessed against a control group;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the quantitative analysis of data used in each of the case studies.

Vernon Coaker: The case studies used in the recent White Paper-Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system-are intended as individual examples of good practice from a range of partners and sources. They illustrate proposals within the document and support understanding through using real contexts. In using such cases, we did not consider it necessary to have a control group or to collect a full quantitative analysis of data.

Schools: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) the renewal of the primary school estate and modernising school infrastructure,  (b) the number of secondary school classrooms adapted to improve personalised learning,  (c) the number of schools receiving energy-saving measures,  (d) the number of kitchens built in primary schools and  (e) the number of rooms in primary schools converted for mother-and-baby groups and other community uses of the £800 million funding for priority schools capital programmes, brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 and 2008-09; and how much of the funding has been spent in each month since it was announced.

Vernon Coaker: The fiscal stimulus initiative allowed local authorities and schools to bring forward some of their capital allocations from 2010-11 into 2009-10. The programmes affected are: Modernisation for schools; the Locally Co-ordinated Voluntarily Aided Programme (LCVAP); Primary Capital Programme; the Targeted Capital Fund for 14-19, special educational needs and disabilities; devolved formula capital which is paid directly to schools; and children's play areas. The final overall amount brought forward was £969 million. Information on how much of the overall allocations have been invested to date, and the impact of the investment, is held locally. The Department will be carrying out a survey later this year to determine whether or not the funds are on track to be invested during the 2009-10 spending period.

Schools: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to paragraph 6.14, page 120, of Budget 2009, what information his Department holds on the priority schools capital programme; and what funding his Department has allocated to the programme in financial years  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Vernon Coaker: The fiscal stimulus initiative allowed local authorities and schools to bring forward some of their capital allocations from 2010-11 into 2009-10. This involved allocations in existing programmes announced in the comprehensive spending review 2007, but allowed for significant investment to be made earlier than had previously been anticipated. Priorities for investment on these programmes are decided and held locally. Overall, the final amount planned to be brought forward was £969 million. This can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Programme  £m 
			 Modernisation for schools 240 
			 Locally Co-ordinated Voluntarily Aided Programme (LCVAP) 51 
			 Primary Capital Programme 107 
			 Targeted Capital Fund for 14 to 19, special educational needs and disabilities 151 
			 Devolved Formula Capital (paid directly to schools) 390 
			 Children's play areas 30

Schools: Finance

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been allocated to each local authority through the dedicated schools grant in each year since its introduction.

Vernon Coaker: The following table shows the Dedicated Schools Grant allocations made to each local authority in each year since the grant began in 2006-07. Local authorities with schools that have converted into academies may see a reduction in their allocation in the year of conversion. Academies receive their funding direct from the Department, not through local authorities.
	
		
			  Dedicated schools grant allocations by local authority 
			   £ million 
			   2006-2007  2007-2008  2008-2009  2009-2010 
			 Barking and Dagenham 119,913 129,088 135,488 142,933 
			 Barnet 173,792 185,129 195,074 202,138 
			 Barnsley 115,173 120,431 123,795 126,271 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 84,534 89,117 92,611 95,332 
			 Bedford Borough(1) n/a n/a n/a 92,190 
			 Bedfordshire(1) 204,772 218,084 227,692 n/a 
			 Bexley 137,002 144,800 149,304 153,030 
			 Birmingham 677,576 721,735 747,609 768,202 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 97,105 102,346 103,829 105,268 
			 Blackpool 76,268 80,419 82,572 84,223 
			 Bolton 156,361 165,865 171,002 171,193 
			 Bournemouth 69,596 73,397 76,431 79,039 
			 Bracknell Forest 52,899 56,717 59,691 61,973 
			 Bradford 291,773 312,002 326,808 336,624 
			 Brent 159,124 173,854 185,106 189,555 
			 Brighton and Hove 108,502 117,598 122,581 127,734 
			 Bristol, City of 180,667 188,615 189,531 192,264 
			 Bromley 156,417 165,628 172,412 179,400 
			 Buckinghamshire 248,999 263,650 275,335 283,256 
			 Bury 99,393 105,016 108,677 112,108 
			 Calderdale 113,764 120,468 126,007 130,646 
			 Cambridgeshire 266,456 282,595 295,795 306,375 
			 Camden 110,974 118,313 122,965 128,449 
			 Central Bedfordshire(1) n/a n/a n/a 142,303 
			 Cheshire East(1) n/a n/a n/a 193,298 
			 Cheshire West and Chester(1) n/a n/a n/a 185,655 
			 Cheshire(1) 346,727 362,566 374,100 n/a 
			 City of London 1,664 1,755 1,801 1,962 
			 Cornwall 240,785 254,078 261,827 268,681 
			 Coventry 170,628 181,098 186,193 191,900 
			 Croydon 186,482 196,967 200,839 198,608 
			 Cumbria 246,418 258,946 258,775 256,931 
			 Darlington 53,941 55,815 56,354 58,539 
			 Derby 130,521 138,746 142,955 147,844 
			 Derbyshire 376,114 393,943 406,793 414,929 
			 Devon 317,668 335,278 348,214 359,179 
			 Doncaster 158,019 165,419 169,984 169,167 
			 Dorset 183,557 194,215 200,381 205,848 
			 Dudley 173,955 183,146 188,303 189,779 
			 Durham 255,591 267,453 274,436 279,925 
			 Ealing 170,813 185,023 194,006 203,109 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 158,009 166,529 171,844 176,037 
			 East Sussex 237,085 249,423 257,367 266,665 
			 Enfield 186,575 200,393 208,807 213,515 
			 Essex 694,378 733,245 754,995 758,957 
			 Gateshead 95,668 100,182 102,678 105,114 
			 Gloucestershire 279,957 294,472 306,234 315,166 
			 Greenwich 157,469 168,777 174,442 180,449 
			 Hackney 140,069 146,998 149,967 155,005 
			 Halton 71,796 75,565 77,959 79,697 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 78,825 82,175 84,626 88,462 
			 Hampshire 614,145 647,530 671,582 692,510 
			 Haringey 144,409 154,297 159,997 164,501 
			 Harrow 119,052 127,092 132,762 137,487 
			 Hartlepool 54,528 57,377 58,525 59,700 
			 Havering 133,791 141,743 147,407 153,255 
			 Herefordshire 78,151 82,535 83,612 84,519 
			 Hertfordshire 565,275 597,715 621,928 642,065 
			 Hillingdon 148,435 158,427 165,328 173,418 
			 Hounslow 134,705 145,398 151,628 158,126 
			 Isle of Wight 67,779 70,911 72,708 74,162 
			 Islington 116,438 123,028 123,100 125,434 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 56,218 60,141 62,106 64,209 
			 Kent 718,205 751,848 773,916 791,332 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 140,699 146,437 147,321 146,344 
			 Kingston upon Thames 73,799 78,402 81,983 86,488 
			 Kirklees 219,243 232,480 241,262 249,965 
			 Knowsley 91,218 94,867 96,764 98,699 
			 Lambeth 147,071 159,303 169,053 177,221 
			 Lancashire 606,865 634,956 649,351 659,577 
			 Leeds 363,869 380,882 393,272 400,686 
			 Leicester 169,484 181,366 188,698 195,111 
			 Leicestershire 298,047 313,502 325,362 336,061 
			 Lewisham 161,465 168,579 172,420 178,216 
			 Lincolnshire 338,012 358,304 364,139 363,492 
			 Liverpool 251,480 259,778 264,974 270,273 
			 Luton 121,890 126,431 130,118 136,270 
			 Manchester 257,322 272,581 281,132 280,993 
			 Medway 152,202 159,669 163,836 165,319 
			 Merton 87,087 90,758 94,740 99,162 
			 Middlesbrough 72,479 75,378 76,886 79,098 
			 Milton Keynes 128,460 138,853 148,576 153,392 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 127,051 134,112 135,613 136,846 
			 Newham 215,377 231,764 242,480 252,635 
			 Norfolk 376,695 397,879 411,575 419,678 
			 North East Lincolnshire 93,904 92,859 91,129 92,952 
			 North Lincolnshire 84,891 89,525 90,944 92,380 
			 North Somerset 93,147 99,681 104,432 108,003 
			 North Tyneside 96,832 101,636 104,674 107,062 
			 North Yorkshire 285,994 299,913 310,692 318,209 
			 Northamptonshire 338,390 358,440 373,030 376,256 
			 Northumberland 151,545 159,219 164,015 160,909 
			 Nottingham 145,958 154,697 159,276 156,735 
			 Nottinghamshire 384,033 407,619 417,331 426,150 
			 Oldham 143,869 152.671 159,029 164,960 
			 Oxfordshire 283,527 299,770 308,546 321,677 
			 Peterborough 104,111 106,402 108,744 111,818 
			 Plymouth 127,125 132,906 136,886 140,166 
			 Poole 61,136 64,386 66,954 69,013 
			 Portsmouth 92,454 97,702 99,832 100,010 
			 Reading 59,511 63,316 66,419 69,940 
			 Redbridge 151,437 164,405 173,785 184,212 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 81,483 85,036 86,737 88,472 
			 Richmond upon Thames 80,464 85,924 91,127 95,057 
			 Rochdale 127,281 132,078 134,857 138,438 
			 Rotherham 155,011 163,114 167,663 170,154 
			 Rutland 17,936 18,692 19,753 20,582 
			 Salford 122,025 126,906 127,960 130,545 
			 Sandwell 177,873 185,354 185,455 186,752 
			 Sefton 148,611 154,555 157,646 160,799 
			 Sheffield 252,981 264,759 274,119 281,394 
			 Shropshire 133,468 139,256 143,866 147,176 
			 Slough 75,633 83,187 87,374 91,456 
			 Solihull 113,614 117,293 122,228 123,788 
			 Somerset 241,427 253,489 262,927 268,946 
			 South Gloucestershire 127,610 134,738 139,155 136,125 
			 South Tyneside 82,607 85,998 87,718 89,472 
			 Southampton 106,923 112,679 111,002 112,163 
			 Southend-on-Sea 93,734 98,970 102,523 105,405 
			 Southwark 167,665 166,425 164,714 168,332 
			 St. Helens 96,075 100,344 102,539 104,590 
			 Staffordshire 410,246 428,460 442,408 452,378 
			 Stockport 141,421 145,810 149,416 152,404 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 102,936 108,129 110,984 113,204 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 128,578 134,987 138,998 142,287 
			 Suffolk 325,258 343,156 356,069 364,796 
			 Sunderland 152,385 158,576 158,861 156,251 
			 Surrey 496,045 528,566 553,065 574,114 
			 Sutton 107,407 115,169 120,569 125,693 
			 Swindon 99,650 103,259 107,169 110,647 
			 Tameside 126,931 133,157 133,408 130,997 
			 Telford and Wrekin 91,545 93,936 94,710 96,249 
			 Thurrock 84,337 88,593 93,821 95,030 
			 Torbay 63,337 66,919 69,227 70,612 
			 Tower Hamlets 197,620 214,012 222,676 232,291 
			 Trafford 115,557 122,267 129,836 134,623 
			 Wakefield 169,213 177,316 181,551 182,151 
			 Walsall 156,923 166,212 170,660 170,137 
			 Waltham Forest 144,467 153,176 160,125 167,109 
			 Wandsworth 124,128 134,423 140,411 146,257 
			 Warrington 105,260 111,706 116,014 119,386 
			 Warwickshire 255,186 268,812 277,924 287,519 
			 West Berkshire 82,568 88,582 92,825 95,953 
			 West Sussex 366,745 385,413 399,531 400,316 
			 Westminster 86,014 89,186 89,075 90,949 
			 Wigan 169,716 177,387 182,506 186,156 
			 Wiltshire 215,852 228,304 237,385 243,179 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 66,332 70,547 73,044 75,873 
			 Wirral 170,958 179,355 183,718 188,116 
			 Wokingham 75,960 81,022 84,607 88,029 
			 Wolverhampton 136,566 144,504 148,732 149,595 
			 Worcestershire 259,678 271,961 282,736 288,576 
			 York 79,798 83,311 86,056 88,321 
			 England Total 26,573,622 28,031,554 28,941,547 29,620,467 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Authorities changed as a result of local government reorganisation.

Teachers: Rarely Cover Guidance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what additional support he plans to provide to teachers to help facilitate the continuation of educationally valuable visits or trips in light of the rarely cover guidelines;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the conduct of school trips of his Department's rarely cover guidance;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had on the application of his Department's rarely cover guidance; with whom such discussions were held; and on what dates these discussions took place;

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance he has issued to schools on the requirement that teachers rarely cover for absent colleagues; what guidance he has issued to schools on the implementation of rarely cover guidelines for school trips; and what definition of rarely cover is used in the context of such guidance.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of school excursions which were cancelled owing to a failure to provide sufficient levels of staff cover in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the requirement that teachers rarely cover for absent colleagues does not adversely affect learning activities outside the classroom.

Vernon Coaker: The Secretary of State and my predecessor, the right hon. Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight) have discussed the issues of rarely cover individually with our social partners on the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group on a number of occasions over the last few months.
	General guidance on the rarely cover provisions was issued at the end of April. A copy of this has been placed in the House Libraries. It makes clear that teachers should, from September 2009, be required to cover for absent colleagues only rarely, in circumstances that are not foreseeable.
	Since April, the Department has been working hard with social partners to produce additional guidance on the rarely cover provisions. This will include guidance on learning outside the classroom which is designed to help schools plan effectively for these activities, which we all agree are an important part of the curriculum. The additional guidance, which will be subject to a period of consultation, will be issued shortly and a copy will be placed in the House Libraries.
	No estimate has been made of the number of learning outside the classroom activities that have been cancelled because of a lack of cover over the last 12 months and where schools take note of the new guidance, we do not anticipate that the rarely cover provisions will result in reduced opportunities for learning outside the classroom in the future.

Truancy: Yorkshire and the Humber

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber appeared in court on charges related to the unauthorised absence of their child from school in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Ministry of Justice collects and publishes data for England and Wales on prosecutions brought against parents under the Education Act 1996 for the offence under s444(1) of failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school; and for prosecutions under s444(1A), the aggravated offence of knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly. It is possible, because of the way courts record data, that some s444 data are also collected under the more general heading of various offences under the Education Act 1996.
	The information on the number of parents prosecuted by local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber for failing to secure their children's regular school attendance between 2003 to 2007 (latest available data) is detailed in the table. Data are collected on the basis of police force regions and not local authority areas. Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Education Act 1996 S.444( 1) , Yorkshire and Humberside region, broken down by police force area, 2003 to 2007( 2, 3) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Humberside 65 29 208 224 225 
			 North Yorkshire 19 21 24 34 53 
			 South Yorkshire 463 375 333 455 483 
			 West Yorkshire 162 218 63 19 9 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 709 643 628 732 770 
			 (1) Includes the following; (a) Failure to secure regular attendance at school. (Education Act 1996 S.444 (1)(8)). (b) Parent knows that their child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school. (Education Act 1996 S.444(8)(1a)(8a) added by Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 S.72). (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice

Youth Crime Priority Areas: Finance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much additional funding has been allocated by his Department to the 69 local authority areas identified as Youth Crime Priority Areas; and over what period that funding will be provided.

Vernon Coaker: The Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP), published in July 2008, sets out the Government's plans for tackling offending by young people. It is supported by close to £100 million over the three year period from 2008-09 to 2010-11, in addition to the existing investment in children's and youth services, to support local authorities in making inroads into youth crime locally.
	69 local authority areas (and two in Wales) have been identified as priority areas under YCAP. In 2008-09, under YCAP, the 69 local authorities in England each received £65,000 to implement an intensive package of activity set out in YCAP.
	Each of the 69 local authority areas in England will receive £350,000 this financial year (2009-10) and £350,000 in 2010-11 to deliver the intensive package of activity to help reduce youth crime. In addition, the two Welsh areas will receive £175,000 in each of the two years to fund those aspects of the intensive package that are not devolved.
	This year, building on the success of the Home Office enforcement campaign in 2008/09 we will provide funding to the 69 areas to develop a co-ordinated plan of activity to tackle alcohol related youth crime. Areas will be provided with a grant of up to £20,000 (£1.4 million in total) to kick start activity to begin before the summer and last at least throughout the summer holidays.

TREASURY

Banks: Iceland

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings his Department's officials have had on the recovery of local authority investments in Icelandic banks since 1 May 2009.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, the Government do not disclose the outcome or results of all such meetings and discussions.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each  (a) database and  (b) ICT system run by his Department in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each  (a) database and  (b) ICT system run by his Department in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
	HM Treasury is bound by the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework in relation to information security, including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.

Departmental Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There is no central provision for training special advisers.

Financial Services: Regulation

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on the banking and financial services sector of the paper presented on 8 May 2009 to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Conference on reforming financial regulation by the executive director for financial stability of the Bank of England.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's approach to reforming regulation of financial services is set out in the Government's paper 'Reforming Financial Markets', published on 8 July 2009.

Hedge Funds

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral statement of 8 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 969-87, on reforming of financial markets, what his definition is of systematically important hedge funds; and which hedge funds fall into this category.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A financial institution can be said to be of systemic importance when its failure could cause serious disruption to the financial system. In order to more closely monitor the systemic impact of hedge funds the Government are working with the Financial Services Authority to put in place a system of enhanced surveillance that can gather relevant and timely information on the funding, leverage, investment strategies and, in some cases, investment positions of individual funds managed from the UK.

Interpal

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes South West,  Official Report, column 677W, on Interpal, whether he has received evidence from the US Administration on the basis for the allegations made against Interpal in its press notice of 22 August 2003.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: As set out in the Treasury's written answer of 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 677W, HM Treasury officials are in discussions with their US counterparts about how to facilitate legitimate charitable work, while protecting against the abuse of charities by those involved in terrorist finance. As part of this, HM Treasury continue to discuss the specific case of Interpal with the US authorities.

Members: Correspondence

Ann Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter of 5 March 2009, ref 6/00178/2009, on the banking industry and pensions from the hon. Member for Congleton on behalf of her constituents Mr. and Mrs. Brian Evans.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Operational Efficiency Programme: Met Office

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with which other public sector bodies the Operational Efficiency Programme project team plans to work in its review of the Met Office.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 July 2009
	As part of the joint work on the Trading Funds Review which preceded the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP), the Met Office has had initial engagement with public sector bodies including the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Natural Environment Research Council. The Met Office OEP review team is currently reviewing which further public sector bodies to consult with as part of the next phase of work.

Pay: North East

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of average earnings growth was in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside and  (c) the North East in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the rate of average earnings growth was in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East in each year since 1997. (286343)
	ONS's primary indicator of average earnings growth is the Average Earnings Index. As this does not produce regional estimates, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings has been used (ASHE). The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of information on the levels of earnings in the United Kingdom. It is a sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	The sample sizes for more detailed geographies can be small and this affects the quality of the resulting estimates, which are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	ASHE results are available from 1997 and so annual growth rates are available from 1998. I attach a table showing the annual percentage change in median gross weekly earnings for the specified geographies for full-time employees in each year since 1998.
	
		
			  Annual percentage change of median gross weekly earnings for full-time employee jobs( 1) 
			   Jarrow parliamentary constituency  South Tyneside local authority  North East 
			 1998 8.2 8.7 1.0 
			 1999 3.2 -0.4 3.8 
			 2000 0.3 7.1 4.9 
			 2001 7.8 4.5 1.3 
			 2002 -3.5 -7.2 3.3 
			 2003 -7.2 1.8 1.1 
			 2004 6.6 14.5 7.0 
			 2005 0.9 -2.8 3.7 
			 2006 4.0 3.8 3.7 
			 2007 -0.4 -0.6 2.4 
			 2008 4.8 6.7 4.0 
			 (1 )Full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.  Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics. 1998 to 2008.

Public Expenditure

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the components are of the other spending line in Table 4.1, Spending Projection, on page 36 of the Long-term Public Finance Report of March 2008, identifying the components of the totals for each of the years given in the columns.

Liam Byrne: The Long-term Public Finance Report provides a comprehensive analysis of long-term demographic developments, and their likely impact on the public finances, based on long-term projections of public spending and revenues. The latest publication, as well as previous reports, can be found on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/bud_bud08_longterm.htm

Travel: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from representatives of those with serious medical conditions and disabilities on the availability of travel insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Travel: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average proportion of the cost of travel insurance to the consumer accounted for by premium insurance tax; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Travel insurance premiums are subject to the higher rate of insurance premium tax at 17.5 per cent. Insurance premium tax therefore accounts for 14.9 per cent of the total price paid by a customer for travel insurance.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has assessed on the effect of allotments on the environment and local communities.

Shahid Malik: CLG and DEFRA officials have started discussions about jointly commissioning research to identify and collect evidence on how communities can be engaged and empowered to realise the benefits of urban green spaces (including allotments), which align with key Government priorities.

Allotments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints have been submitted to the local government ombudsman on maladministration in the provision of allotments in the last five years.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is not held centrally. The Local Government Ombudsman do not record complaints regarding allotment provision separately, they fall within a wider leisure and culture category on their complaints database.

Allotments: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many allotments are provided by each district authority in Lancashire.

Shahid Malik: Information on the number of allotments provided by each local authority is not held centrally.

Collective Worship

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people attended Church of England services in each of the last 30 years.

Shahid Malik: This information is not collected by Government.

Community Relations

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps have been taken to tackle caste discrimination in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: Officials have been considering the issue of caste based discrimination and Communities and Local Government are currently engaged in a series of meetings with interested parties on the subject within the context of the Equality Bill currently before Parliament.

Council Housing: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 7-10WS, on housing, for how long the consultation on council housing finance will last; and when he expects it to report.

Ian Austin: The consultation will be for a minimum of 12 weeks in accordance with the Government's code of practice on consultation. The Government response to the consultation will be published early next year.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by how much council tax  (a) bills and  (b) receipts increased in (i) absolute percentage terms and (ii) real terms in England between 1997-98 and 2009-10 according to figures held by the Office for National Statistics.

Rosie Winterton: According to statistical returns made to Communities and Local Government, between 1997-98 and 2009-10, average council tax bills for a band-D property in England rose by 106 per cent. in absolute terms and by 52 per cent. in real terms. Decisions about the level of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities and will rightly reflect the priorities of their local communities.
	Between 1997-98 and 2008-09 receipts of council tax in England increased by 125 per cent. in absolute terms and by 66 per cent. in real terms. Data for 2009-10 are not yet available.
	The Office for National Statistics does not collect information about council tax.
	Between 1997-98 and 2007-08 central Government grants, consisting of revenue support grant, redistributed national non-domestic rates, police grant, general GLA grant and special and specific grants, to local authorities in England increased by 96 per cent. in absolute terms and by 45 per cent. in real terms. Data for 2008-09 and 2009-10 are not yet available.

Departmental Accountancy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: Communities and Local Government laid their resource accounts before Parliament on 14 July 2009.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the standard of service provided to his Department and its agencies by contractors appointed by reverse auction.

Shahid Malik: The Department and its agencies have not appointed any suppliers by reverse auction.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Shahid Malik: CLG currently has no plans to upgrade from Internet Explorer 6. CLG will consider upgrading when the benefits for doing so outweigh any disbenefit or cost. Reasons for upgrading might include withdrawal of support by Microsoft, or significant dependencies on other versions of internet explorer by other key CLG systems.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 755W, on official hospitality, what the monetary value is above which special advisers in his Department are required to declare  (a) hospitality and  (b) gifts.

Shahid Malik: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 8 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 755-56W.

Departmental Publications

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) original budget for and  (b) outturn cost of production of his Department's report Getting it right, and righting the wrongs was.

Shahid Malik: The information is as follows.
	 (a) £100,000 was allocated to the independent Review of Redress in each of 2008-09 and 2009-10. This covered the full costs of the review, including production of the final report.
	 (b) Costs for the design, printing and typesetting of the Getting it right and righting the wrongs report and the accompanying practitioners' toolkit were £23,046 excluding VAT.

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees of his Department and its predecessors have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code. Civil servants may shadow MPs as part of a programme run by the Industry and Parliament Trust. Details on numbers of civil servants from this Department who have had such an attachment are not held centrally.

Departmental Work Experience

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid graduate internships his Department has awarded in each of the last six months.

Shahid Malik: The Department of Communities and Local Government has not awarded any paid or unpaid graduate internships in the last six months.

Departmental Work Experience

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many interns work in his Department; what terms of reference apply to their appointment; what remuneration they receive; and how long on average an intern appointment lasts.

Shahid Malik: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has 12 interns working in the Department. Details of the different terms of reference, remuneration and the length of the appointment on offer are set out as follows.
	 Cabinet Office interns
	There are four interns from this programme. All are on a training contract, with remuneration of £24,951 per annum (pro rata). The placements last on average six weeks.
	 Government economics interns
	There are two interns from this programme. All are on causal contracts, with remuneration of £22,540 per annum (pro rata). The placements last on average six weeks.
	 Government legal interns
	There are six interns from this programme. All are on causal contracts, with remuneration of £180 per week. The placements last two weeks.

Deposit Protection Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Deposit Protection Service's most recent monthly performance report;
	(2)  which key performance indicators are used by his Department to measure the performance of the Deposit Protection Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what rating was reported by the Deposit Protection Service in relation to each of its key performance indicators in each of the last six months.

Ian Austin: The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) is required to submit monthly reports on 11 key performance indicators, listed as follows, under the terms of its contract with Communities and Local Government. The reports are commercially confidential and will not be placed in the Library. However, I can report that in each of the last six months, the DPS met or exceeded all of the performance targets.
	
		
			  Key performance indicator  Target 
			 1. Call answer: All calls to the helpline to be answered by a customer service representative within a monthly average of 90 seconds within the defined hours of operation 90 seconds 
			 2. System availability: Availability of web access to the system for end users; Provision of a web/online interface available, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, exclusive of scheduled downtime 99 per cent. 
			 3. Time needed for a substantive response to written, e-mail and web-based inquiries and complaints (including to provide confirmation of deposit protection to tenants): Responses to written inquiries (including fax) dispatched within four business days (excluding the day of receipt) 4 business days 
			 4. Confirmation of registration dispatched to landlord within three business days of receipt of a completed registration by phone, paper, or online (excluding the day of registration) 3 business days 
			 5. Deposit funds that are given to service provider banked in a timely manner: (i.e. cheques or any other payment made to service provider) by banking close on the business day following the business day of receipt of deposit funds by the service provider 99 per cent. 
			 6. Confirmation dispatched to landlord of deposit protection and provision of required tenancy information within two business days of funds being cleared by deposit holder (excluding business day on which funds are cleared) 2 business days 
			 7. Deposit plus interest is returned to the appropriate recipient(s) within 10 days from the day that the service provider receives confirmation of its release (i.e. after agreement, ADR decision notification, court decision), (including day of receipt of notification). 100 per cent. 
			 8. Deposit plus interest is returned to the appropriate recipient(s) within five days from the day that the service provider receives confirmation of its release (i.e. after agreement, ADR decision notification, court decision), (including day of receipt of notification) 98 per cent. 
			 9. Resolution of disputes by the ADR service within 28 days from the notification of dispute (following agreement by both landlord and tenant to use the ADR service, (excluding the day of notification)) 95 per cent. 
			 10. Notification dispatched to landlord and tenant of a final ADR decision within one business day of the service provider receiving such notification from the ADR service (excluding the day of notification) 2 business days 
			 11. All scheduled monthly reports and invoices, fully in accordance with the agreement, provided to the authority by the time specified in the Agreement By the time specified

Deposit Protection Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the Deposit Protection Service is for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Ian Austin: The Deposit Protection Service is a Government authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme but is self-financing and does not receive a budget from Communities and Local Government.

Deposit Protection Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) landlords and  (b) lettings agents were registered with the Deposit Protection Service in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The total number of landlords and letting agents registered with the Deposit Protection Service at the end of each year since the scheme began in April 2007 is set out as follows.
	
		
			   Letting agents registered (cumulative figure)  Landlords registered (cumulative figure) 
			 As at 31 December 2007 7,825 66,684 
			 As at 31 December 2008 11,928 130,559 
			 As at 14 July 2009 14,399 163,193

Derelict Land

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what area of land designated as brown field in each county in 1997 has since been dedesignated; and what estimate he has made of the area of such land which has been built upon since 1997.

Ian Austin: No information is available on what land was designated as brownfield in 1997. Information on the stock of brownfield land by region from 1998 is available from the National Land Use Database of Previously-Developed Land and is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Hectares 
			  Government  office region  1998  2001 on 1998 specification  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 4,120 4,850 4,930 4,780 4,360 4,540 4,230 3,970 4,030 
			 North West 8,370 10,390 10,710 11,770 11,390 11,830 11,860 11,060 10,910 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8,930 8,880 9,010 8,000 8,070 8,230 8,170 8,580 9,110 
			 East Midlands 5,610 5,960 6,140 6,390 5,870 5,660 5,540 6,240 6,360 
			 West Midlands 5,040 5,600 5,850 6,560 6,420 6,250 6,980 6,050 5,930 
			   
			 East of England 6,950 7,560 7,820 7,540 7,930 7,360 6,830 7,190 6,890 
			 London 2,820 3,710 4,590 3,520 3,430 3,290 3,080 3,640 3,930 
			 South East 9,740 9,120 9,870 10,910 10,860 10,370 10,130 9,930 8,990 
			 South West 6,110 6,340 6,580 6,650 7,420 6,570 6,660 6,070 5,960 
			   
			 England 57,710 62,420 65,500 66,110 65,760 64,130 63,490 62,730 62,130 
		
	
	Information at county level for land which has been de-designated and the acreage of land which has been built on could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on provision for waste bins in the design of new residential developments.

Ian Austin: The Government receive a range of representations from groups and individuals on a wide range of topics including the provision of waste bins in residential developments. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 741-42W and 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1144-45W as examples. The provision of and access to for solid waste, such as waste bins, is addressed by Part H6 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations, and in Category 5 (Was 1) of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department and its agencies have issued to local authorities in  (a) each region and  (b) each London borough in relation to the use of empty dwelling management orders.

Ian Austin: The Department supported the guidance on Empty Dwelling Management Orders which was launched by the independent Empty Homes Agency on 10 March. A foreword to the guidance was provided by the then Minister of State for Housing and Planning. Individual guidance is provided on demand to all local authorities by my officials.

Faith and Social Cohesion Unit

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department is giving to the Charity Commission's Faith and Social Cohesion Unit.

Shahid Malik: The Department for Communities and Local Government is part-funding the Charity Commission's Faith and Social Cohesion Unit to a total of £1.3 million over financial years 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10. The Charity Commission is also contributing £200,000 over each of these financial years through staff resources.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the latest timetable is for each of the regional fire control room to become fully operational; whether any control room is expected to go live before June 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects the new London fire control centre to be operational.

Shahid Malik: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made to the House today which sets out the latest position on the FiReControl project.

Fire Services: Manpower

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire fighters were employed at fire stations in  (a) the North East,  (b) Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Shahid Malik: Available data on the number of firefighters are shown in the tables. These are for:  (a) the north-east, and for  (b) the Tees Valley areas of Cleveland and of Darlington.
	Fire fighter strength data for Darlington, and both headcount and strength data for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  (a) Number of firefighters, the north-east of England, 1999 to 2008 
			   Headcount  Strength 
			  At 31 March  Whole - time  Retained duty  Wholetime( 1)  Retained duty( 2) 
			 1999 2,195 450 2,195 343 
			 2000 2,213 456 2,213 371 
			 2001 2,224 442 2,222 351 
			 2002 2,239 456 2,239 396 
			 2003 2,201 449 2,236 390 
			 2004 2,140 455 2,138 393 
			 2005 2,086 456 2,086 419 
			 2006 2,051 485 2,049 414 
			 2007 2,049 477 2,040 406 
			 2008 2,031 471 2,031 393 
			 (1) In full-time equivalents (FTEs) (2) In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades,  Source: Annual Returns to CLG 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) (i) Number of firefighters, Cleveland, 1999 to 2008 
			   Headcount  Strength 
			  At 31 March  Whole - time  Retained duty  Wholetime( 1)  Retained duty( 2) 
			 1999 603 85 603 66 
			 2000 589 89 589 69 
			 2001 601 80 601 62 
			 2002 610 85 610 66 
			 2003 586 89 589 69 
			 2004 570 87 570 66 
			 2005 563 90 563 72 
			 2006 561 84 559 66 
			 2007 562 81 562 62 
			 2008 542 94 542 72 
			 (1) In full-time equivalents (FTEs) (2) In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades  Source: Annual Returns to CLG 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) (ii) Number of firefighters, Darlington, 1997 to 2008 
			   Headcount( 1)  Strength( 2) 
			  At 31 March  Whole - time  Retained Duty( 3)  Wholetime( 4)  Retained Duty( 5) 
			 1999 64 0 n/a n/a 
			 2000 64 0 n/a n/a 
			 2001 68 0 n/a n/a 
			 2002 68 0 n/a n/a 
			 2003 68 0 n/a n/a 
			 2004 68 0 n/a n/a 
			 2005 56 0 n/a n/a 
			 2006 56 0 n/a n/a 
			 2007 56 0 n/a n/a 
			 2008 56 0 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = data not available (1) Figures exclude Group Manager and Station Manager grades, therefore report fire-fighter personnel only. (2) Annual return data is for establishment only and is not broken down by station. (3) Darlington has no retained duty fire-fighters. (4) In full-time equivalents (FTEs). (5) In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades.  Source: Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

Fires: Domestic Waste

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps fire authorities have taken to examine the causes of wheeled refuse container fires; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: All fires are investigated by fire and rescue services and a most likely cause is determined either by the incident commander or a fire investigation officer.
	Local analysis of fire data is undertaken within fire and rescue services to determine trends, such as geographical locations or types of incident, and to inform the Integrated Risk Management Planning process. These data are used internally and are not shared with Communities and Local Government.

Fires: Domestic Waste

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of wheeled refuse container fires in England in the last 12 months.

Shahid Malik: The number of wheeled refuse container fires is not yet held centrally and so could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	Data on refuse fires are calculated from aggregate monthly returns. These are limited to the total number of refuse and refuse container fires attended by each fire and rescue service. These provide insufficient information to make an estimate on the number of wheeled refuse container fires.
	The total number of refuse and refuse container fires is shown in the table for the latest year for which information is available.
	The recently implemented electronic incident recording system (IRS) records both the number and location of all incidents attended by fire and rescue services. The number and location of wheeled refuse container fires attended by fire and rescue services will therefore be available, with the first data being for 2009-10.
	
		
			  Total refuse and refuse container fires, England, 2007( 1) 
			  FRS area  2007( 1) 
			 England 108,335 
			 Avon 1,489 
			 Bedfordshire 911 
			 Berkshire 831 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,181 
			 Cambridgeshire 941 
			 Cheshire 2,881 
			 Cleveland 3,853 
			 Cornwall 320 
			 Cumbria 1,305 
			 Derbyshire 1,230 
			 Devon 1,459 
			 Dorset 525 
			 Durham 2,419 
			 East Sussex 862 
			 Gloucestershire 618 
			 Greater London 12,478 
			 Greater Manchester 10,451 
			 Hampshire 2,512 
			 Hereford and Worcester 621 
			 Hertfordshire 1,197 
			 Humberside 3,459 
			 Isle of Wight 130 
			 Isles of Stilly 0 
			 Kent 2,326 
			 Lancashire 4,362 
			 Leicestershire 1,429 
			 Lincolnshire 965 
			 Merseyside 6,493 
			 Norfolk 861 
			 North Yorkshire 940 
			 Northamptonshire 1,409 
			 Northumberland 949 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,983 
			 Oxfordshire 553 
			 Shropshire 784 
			 Somerset 541 
			 South Yorkshire 5,563 
			 Staffordshire 2,327 
			 Suffolk 713 
			 Surrey 916 
			 Tyne and Wear 6,050 
			 Warwickshire 816 
			 West Midlands 7,029 
			 West Sussex 728 
			 West Yorkshire 8,407 
			 Wiltshire 518 
			 (1) Data for 2007 are provisional and subject to change  Source: CLG

Flats: Construction

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that blocks of flats of a height of 30 metres or more completed or refurbished after April 2007 are fitted with sprinkler systems.

Ian Austin: The Building Regulations 2000 require that
	where reasonably necessary to inhibit the spread of fire within the building
	automatic fire suppression systems and/or fire resisting construction should be provided in new buildings.
	In April 2007, the guidance given in Approved Document B (Fire safety), which shows one way in which this requirement can be met, was amended to provide that both a sprinkler system and fire resisting construction should be provided in new blocks of flats over 30 m in height.
	The building regulations apply to building work. Therefore, where a building is being refurbished and building work is being undertaken, that work will need to comply with the relevant requirements of the regulations and the rest of the building should be made no worse as a result of the work being carried out.
	Furthermore, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires those with responsibility for the building (usually the employer, owner or occupier) to carry out a fire risk assessment based on the particular circumstances and use of the premises. Under the order, the responsible person must put in place whatever fire protection measures are adequate and appropriate to mitigate the risk to life in the event of a fire. The order is not prescriptive about what specific fire safety measures are required. This is a matter for the responsible person based on the outcome of their risk assessment.

Green Belt

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what area of land designated as green belt in each county in 1997 has since been dedesignated; and what area of land has been designated as green belt since 1997.

Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally. However, statistics on the area of green belt land are published in Local Planning Authority Green Belt Statistics: England 2008-09 which can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/lagreenbelt2008
	The table in Annex 4 provides estimates of the area of green belt by region for 1997 and 2008-09, and for selected intervening years.

Guidance for Local Authorities on Translation of Publications

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Wrekin of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1292W, on what date Guidance for Local Authorities on Translation of Publications was issued.

Shahid Malik: Guidance for Local Authorities on Translation of Publications was published on 7 December 2007. It is available from:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/translationguidance

Housing: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many affordable homes have been built in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many homes for social rent have been built in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Information on new homes built for social rent and affordable housing is not available by constituency.
	The following table shows the number of new affordable homes built in Dacorum local authority and Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Dacorum 140 20 20 120 190 
			 Hertfordshire 860 690 760 1,540 1,110 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of new social rented homes built in Dacorum local authority and Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Dacorum 110 0 10 50 100 
			 Hertfordshire 760 550 530 890 620 
			  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency investment Management System (IMS), and local authority returns to CLG. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10 units. 
		
	
	Not all social rented and affordable housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. For example, in 2007-08, a total of 210 additional affordable homes were provided in Dacorum (new build and acquisitions), and 1,310 additional affordable homes were provided in Hertfordshire (new build and acquisitions).

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 135W, on housing: low incomes, what the average amount of grant paid for  (a) intermediate affordable housing and  (b) housing for social rent in each region was in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The average amount of grant per unit paid through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing programme by region for social rent and intermediate affordable housing in each year 2005-06 to 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  Social rent-average grant per unit 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 East Midlands 37,879 38,792 38,736 39,939 
			 East of England 41,623 35,108 29,376 42,328 
			 London 80,979 83,821 94,957 97,715 
			 North East 53,301 45,189 59,354 46,067 
			 North West 58,916 51,159 50,277 53,179 
			 South East 52,325 55,190 49,973 53,444 
			 South West 40,992 33,376 42,304 40,004 
			 West Midlands 52,615 43,245 43,381 46,260 
			 York and Humber 38,495 45,667 41,176 44,711 
			 National 55,353 55,796 57,289 57,306 
		
	
	
		
			  Intermediate housing-average grant per unit 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 East Midlands 18,846 17,626 16,417 19,006 
			 East of England 27,631 19,427 13,849 26,369 
			 London 46,187 41,951 41,421 44,749 
			 North East 10,097 20,650 18,240 22,590 
			 North West 27,996 26,921 24,937 28,226 
			 South East 27,644 24,084 19,999 25,414 
			 South West 18,255 15,001 16,041 21,463 
			 West Midlands 23,095 20,228 15,556 23,581 
			 York and Humber 15,347 17,817 21,051 27,830 
			 National 31,795 28,927 25,524 30,313 
			  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the 20,000 additional energy efficient affordable homes referred to on page 38 of the Building Britain's Future publication are planned to be for  (a) social rent and  (b) low cost home ownership.

Ian Austin: The Government estimate that around 13,250 of the 20,000 additional energy-efficient affordable homes will referred to in Building Britain's Future will be for social rent, and around 6,750 for low cost home ownership.

Housing: Low Incomes

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties had been sold under the HomeBuy Direct Scheme in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: Provisional figures for the end of June 2009 show there were over 20 HomeBuy Direct sales completed in the Eastern region. We do not currently have statistically valid data for Essex or Castle Point.

Housing: Overcrowding

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of families living in overcrowded conditions in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The latest estimate of the number of overcrowded households in England was published in January 2009 as part of the Survey of English Housing Preliminary Report: 2007-08 and is 565,000. This is based on the average of three years of the Survey of English Housing from 2005-06 to 2007-08. Overcrowding is defined according to the bedroom standard.

Housing: Single People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were living in single person dwellings in each region in each of the last 30 years.

Ian Austin: The particular data requested have not previously been published, but data on household size by tenure are published in the annual Survey of English Housing reports. The most recent data can be found in table 3 of the Survey of English Housing Preliminary Report 2007-08, available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1133551.pdf
	The following table provides estimates of the number of one-person households in each region for 1999 to 2008 inclusive. Estimates by region for the years previous to this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The overall number of one-person households in England in 1981 was 3,823,000 and in 1991 it was 5,039,000. The estimates are based on data from the ONS Labour Force Survey.
	
		
			  Number of one person households, England 
			  T housands of households 
			  Region  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 North East 309 318 332 340 339 351 337 350 340 362 
			 North West 784 779 784 829 778 814 824 811 873 876 
			 Yorks and Humberside 600 610 618 636 642 646 628 632 669 688 
			 East Midlands 439 464 447 464 482 505 467 506 536 525 
			 West Midlands 573 583 562 618 604 585 586 586 611 631 
			 Eastern 584 609 619 617 593 605 625 653 631 665 
			 London 878 896 899 902 922 889 876 878 837 859 
			 South East 883 864 881 933 976 941 996 972 942 937 
			 South West 568 577 596 613 616 596 594 622 633 610 
			 Total 5,619 5,701 5,737 5,953 5,953 5,931 5,931 6,009 6,073 6,154 
			  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey.

International Comparison of Geographical Trading Models

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the terms of reference were for the Ordnance Survey report entitled International Comparison of Geographical Trading Models; who was responsible for commissioning the report; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report.

Ian Austin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 14 July 2009,  Official Report, column 316W.
	The report was commissioned in April 2009 by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright).
	The terms of reference were:
	To provide a broad comparison of various trading models used by a representative sample of National Mapping Agencies with the current model operated by Ordnance Survey, and to understand their impact on the range, quality, currency and provision of national mapping, and of its use.

Islam

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to paragraph 9.21 of the UK Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, Cm 7547, what projects his Department is supporting with universities to work with Muslim scholars, leaders and academics on contextualising Islam in Britain; and which universities, scholars and academics are involved.

Shahid Malik: Cambridge university, in association with the universities of Exeter and Westminster, have hosted a series of seminars to explore how Islamic theology and Muslim communities might respond to the challenges of living in modern Britain.
	The discussions and debates will be captured in a report and published by Cambridge university in autumn this year. The report will feedback the views of participants on the issues discussed.
	This project is being independently led by Cambridge university who have included imams, scholars and leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Islam: Faith Schools

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contribution his Department has made to support the development of citizenship education in mosque schools through the Islam Citizenship Education Project.

Shahid Malik: The Islam and Citizenship Education (ICE) Project is jointly funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Communities and Local Government. The DCSF awarded a contract, worth £318,652, to the School Development Support Agency (SDSA) running from February 2008 to July 2009 to develop and pilot citizenship lessons for use in mosque schools. The SDSA, working in conjunction with Muslim communities, has successfully delivered this contract. We are currently in the process of tendering for the next stage of the ICE Project to roll out the lessons to mosque schools nationally. Apart from fulfilling their contractual obligations, the SDSA and community-based organisations have made no financial contribution towards the ICE Project.

Local Government: Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts made to gain unauthorised access to (i) databases and (ii) ICT systems run by each local authority were reported to his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: This issue is a matter for individual local authorities who, like all public sector organisations are required to comply with data protection legislation.
	The Local Government Association (LGA) have published Data Handling Guidelines for Local Government to complement the Central Government Data Handling Guidelines published by the Cabinet Office. We welcome the LGA guidelines which are available online at:
	http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=9040133

Local Government: Translation Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes in levels of provision of translation and interpreting services have been made by local authorities in the last 12 months.

Shahid Malik: The Department does not collect data on this. We provided Guidance for Local Authorities on Translation of Publications and this was published on 7 December 2007. It is available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/translationguidance

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2009,  Official Report, column 959W, on mortgages: Government assistance, on what date  (a) the Bank of Ireland,  (b) GMAC,  (c) Kensington Mortgages,  (d) GE Money and  (e) the Post Office joined the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme.

John Healey: GE Money joined the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme on 15 July 2009. The Department has continued to maintain close contact with Bank of Ireland, GMAC, Kensington Mortgages, GE Money and the Post Office in regard to joining the Homeowners Mortgage Support. All lenders have restated their commitment to the scheme and continue to work with the Department to implement the operational and system requirements necessary to offer the scheme to their customers as soon as possible.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to take legal action against port owners for non-payment of business rates owed as part of their cumulo rental agreements.

Rosie Winterton: The collection and enforcement of rates for properties on the local rating lists is a matter for local authorities.

Public Lavatories: Disabled

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the provision of Changing Places public conveniences.

Ian Austin: We are keen to see increasing numbers of Changing Places toilets, and will be exploring in detail what role Building Regulations might play in supporting improvements in provision at a national level. In order to do this, we will shortly be commencing a review of part M (access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations, which includes consideration of sanitary provision for disabled people, and revised guidance would be scheduled to come into force in 2013.
	In addition, this Department's Strategic Guide on 'Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets', published last year, highlighted what local authorities, who have powers to provide public conveniences, and their partners can do to improve public access to toilets in their area. This included a section that drew attention to the Changing Places campaign, and stressed the importance of these facilities to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Social Rented Housing: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of  (a) local authority and  (b) housing association homes in (i) Hemel Hempstead constituency, (ii) Dacorum and (iii) Hertfordshire met the Decent Homes standard in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The proportion of dwellings that met the Decent Homes standard in each of the last five years are listed in the following table. Data for Hemel Hempstead are not available as the constituency crosses several administrative boundaries.
	
		
			  Proportion of decent dwellings 
			  Percentage 
			   Local authority  Registered social landlord 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Dacorum 96.7 97.1 97.3 95.9 99.20 n/a 87.6 83.7 91 91.2 
			 Hertfordshire 84.2 83.7 83.4 80.4 83.9 n/a 87.6 87.5 90.6 88.9 
			  Source:  Annual returns, from all LAs that retain social housing stock, to Communities and Local Government and annual return from Registered social landlords.

Social Rented Housing: Immigrants

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposals relating to council and other social housing waiting lists in the Draft Legislative Programme 2009, Cm 7654, will apply to  (a) immigrants from other EU member states and  (b) asylum seekers from outside the EU.

Ian Austin: Our proposals will give local authorities more flexibility to take into account local needs and priorities when determining their allocation policies. In different localities, this might mean giving relatively more priority to people who:
	Can bring necessary skills to the area, as part of efforts to promote a stronger economy
	Are living in overcrowded conditions-if this is a serious local concern
	Have local family connections-if housing markets make private rental or ownership unaffordable for many
	Are engaging with training opportunities-where there is a particular need to address skills shortages and worklessness
	Have waited longest-where this is seen as the fairest means of distinguishing between otherwise similar applicants.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on bringing homes up to the Decent Homes Standard in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10 to date; and how much is expected to be so spent in 2010-11.

Ian Austin: Information from the Homes and Communities Agency and Tenant Services Authority using statistical returns submitted by local authorities and registered social landlords indicate what we expect to be spent on expenditure maintaining the condition of social housing stock, including up to the Decent Homes standard. This information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  £ billion 
			   Total investment  LA  RSL 
			 2007-08 (outturn figures) 4.15 3.21 0.94 
			 2008-09 4.48 3.49 0.99 
			 2009-10 4.25 3.21 1.04 
			 2010-11 3.75 2.85 (1)0.90 
			 (1) Assumed figure

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1443W, on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, how many applications have been received for guarantees under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme to date; how many of those applications have been eligible for help under the scheme; what the monetary value of such guarantees applied for by eligible applicants to date is; how many eligible applications have been processed and approved to date; and what the monetary value of such guarantees processed and approved to date is.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 186W.

Economic Challenge Investment Fund

Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the procedure is for  (a) individuals and  (b) businesses to apply for funding from the Economic Challenge Investment Fund.

David Lammy: The Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) is a Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) matched funding initiative available to higher education institutions with a total value of just over £58 million. The fund was set up to help the sector provide swift and responsive support to individuals and businesses affected by the economic downturn. Individuals and businesses can access support directly from those higher education institutions successful in securing additional funding through ECIF.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the change in numbers of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service applications from applicants in each  (a) age group,  (b) region and  (c) socio-economic group between 2008-09 and 2009-10.

David Lammy: The latest figures published by UCAS showing applicants as at 30 June are shown in the tables. UCAS has not released any data on socio-economic group for 2009 entry.
	
		
			  UK domiciled applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK at 30 June by age 
			  UK domiciled students  2008  2009  Percentage change 
			 Under 21 357,986 381,916 6.7 
			 21-24 48,993 57,443 17.2 
			 25 and over 54,535 66,557 22.0 
			 Total 461,514 505,916 9.6 
		
	
	
		
			  UK domicile d  applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK at 30 June by home country 
			  Country of domicile  2008  2009  Percentage change 
			 England 390,358 429,734 10.1 
			 Scotland 33,890 35,892 5.9 
			 Wales 20,577 22,839 11.0 
			 Northern Ireland 16,689 17,451 4.6 
			 Total 461,514 505,916 9.6 
			  Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) places available for applicants in and  (b) applications for entry to university in 2009.

David Lammy: holding answer 13 July 2009
	 As of 30 June, there had been 487,356 applicants to full-time undergraduate courses for entry in 2009. This is based on UCAS data, and covers UK and EU domiciled applicants to English institutions. UCAS data do not provide a complete picture. They do not cover all institutions, or applications for part-time or postgraduate study.
	We do not have an estimate of the total number of places available in 2009. This will depend on a number of factors-including growth in non-funded places and part-time provision.
	In terms of HEFCE funded growth, the 2009 Grant Letter provides teaching grant for 10,000 Additional Student Numbers (ASNs) in 2009-10. ASNs refer to full-time equivalent places, and do not purely relate to entrants. They are also used to accommodate second or subsequent cohorts related to entrant expansion in earlier years. HEFCE estimate that the allocation these ASNs funds an additional 10,000 part-time entrant places (in headcount terms) and 3,000 full-time entrant places in 2009. This is in addition to the number of entrants in 2008. Data on the number of entrants in 2008 will not be available until early 2010.

Higher Education: Admissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first degree undergraduates from  (a) England and  (b) other EU member states have been enrolled at a university in each year since 2005.

David Lammy: The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) are shown in the table. Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Domiciled first degree enrolments( 1 ) UK higher education institutions 
			  Academic year  English  Other EU 
			 2005-06 933,690 48,040 
			 2006-07 940,650 51,780 
			 2007-08 954,700 56,820 
			 (1) Cover enrolments to both full-time and part-time courses.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding per  (a) undergraduate and  (b) postgraduate student his Department and its predecessors allocated to (i) the University of York and (ii) York St. John University in each year since 1998.

David Lammy: This information is not held in the form requested. However, it is possible to provide notional figures for the amount of grant distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for teaching and research apportioned by the number of learners (full time equivalent) in each year. It should be noted that there have been some significant changes in HEFCE's funding methodology over this period which means that the following table should not be read as a time series. In addition the data do not take account of other sources of public funding, for example from the NHS or the Research Councils. Crucially it should be borne in mind that institutions have a significant degree of freedom in terms of how their grants are distributed internally. It is for that reason that the figures given are notional and should not be read as the actual level of resource attached to any particular learner.
	
		
			  £ per academic year 
			   York St. John University  University of York 
			  Study level  UG  PGT  PGR  UG  PGT  PGR 
			 1998-99 2,276 418 1,185 2,942 1,842 6,332 
			 1999-2000 2,355 477 1,898 3,008 1,964 6,593 
			 2000-01 2,540 429 1,258 3,083 2,005 6,452 
			 2001-02 2,707 594 1,715 3,118 1,920 6,686 
			 2002-03 2,752 222 954 3,159 1,720 7,275 
			 2003-04 2,988 440 662 3,110 1,663 7,985 
			 2004-05 3,522 359 1,458 3,344 1,484 8,515 
			 2005-06 3,695 350 n/a 3,438 1,540 6,210 
			 2006-07 3,897 509 n/a 3,668 1,672 5,149 
			 2007-08 4,075 642 n/a 3,895 1,828 5,854 
			 2008-09 4,078 927 n/a 4,088 1,911 5,806 
			  Key: UG: Undergraduate PGT: Postgraduate taught PGR: Postgraduate research

Islam: Higher Education

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to paragraph 9.21 of the UK Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, Cm 7457, how much of the £1 million which the Higher Education Funding Council for England has committed for work on the gaps in Islamic studies teaching and research has been allocated; and to what projects.

David Lammy: In June 2007, the Government designated Islamic Studies as a strategically important subject and asked HEFCE to earmark £1 million of its existing funding to develop a programme of work to support this.
	To date, HEFCE has allocated:
	£100,000 towards commissioning research into Islamic Studies in higher education, building on Dr. Siddiqui's report on Islam at universities in England, and holding consultation events with the Islamic Studies community at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/islamic
	£850,000 towards the development and implementation of a UK Islamic Studies network to bring the community of UK Islamic Studies scholars closer together. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) are taking this forward at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/islamic/network
	In the coming year, HEFCE is commissioning a symposium for Islamic Studies scholars across the UK and Europe. Hosted by the British Academy, the symposium will promote the UK as a centre of excellence in Europe for Islamic Studies.

LDV

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that employees of LDV receive employment advice and support; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	This question has been passed to me as the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus are responsible for the action being taken to help people who are made redundant. The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking, what steps we are taking to ensure that employees of LDV receive employment advice and support. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In response to LDV entering administration, we formed a Task Force in partnership with Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, the Regional Development Agency, the Learning and Skills Council and Unity, its regional redundancy response contractor.
	From 8 June, Washwood Heath Jobcentre Plus set up a telephone hotline to take new claims appointments for all those workers being made redundant. These redundant workers attended LDV's premises on 11 and 12 June to meet with representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers together with Jobcentre Plus and partners to provide advice.
	Claims for Jobseeker's Allowance from the LDV Workforce were taken at Washwood Heath Jobcentre Plus on 13 and 14 June. The Pension, Disability and Carers Service, HM Revenue and Customs and Birmingham City Council attended over the weekend at the Jobcentre to give advice on pensions, tax credits, Housing Benefit, financial management and debt issues.
	The former LDV workers are being offered a tailored package of support to help them get back into work as quickly as possible. This includes help and advice with their jobsearch, CV writing, interview techniques, training and identified employment opportunities. This package of help and support will be available across the West Midlands region and will be delivered by a range of partner organisations including the union Unity. The support package for LDV workers is being co-ordinated from the Jobcentre Plus Office in Washwood Heath and all LDV workers will be offered .access to this help.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date his Department was first informed of the Higher Education and Funding Council for England's audit of student numbers and course completion rates at London Metropolitan University.

David Lammy: holding answer 2 July 2009
	Ministers and officials in the Department were first informed about HEFCE's audit findings in February 2008.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to protect  (a) student places and  (b) staff jobs at London Metropolitan University following the Higher Education and Funding Council for England's request for repayment of funds allocated to the university in previous years.

David Lammy: holding answer 2 July 2009
	It is an important principle set out in legislation (sections 65(1) and 68(2b) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992) that Ministers cannot intervene in the funding decisions for individual institutions made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). As is the case with other universities, London Metropolitan University receives grant from HEFCE under a Financial Memorandum which sets out how it should properly account for its public funding. It is for the Funding Council to keep the financial health of the institutions it funds under review to protect the public interest, including ensuring that public funds are properly spent.
	The University will wish to consider a bid to HEFCE's Strategic Development Fund to support its future plans. The final decision on restructuring and forward planning must rest with the University and I remain confident that Higher Education provision in general across London will be sufficient to meet the diversity of demand. No Government, however, can give a commitment to protect every course or department at any particular institution.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ensure publication of the KPMG report commissioned by the Higher Education and Funding Council for England (HEFCE) into the finances of London Metropolitan University on its receipt by HEFCE.

David Lammy: holding answer 2 July 2009
	The Funding Council's Board and Chief Executive commissioned a report from KPMG of the lessons to be learned from its recent engagement with London Metropolitan University. It is for the Council to take decisions on publication. I have, however, been assured that it will be made available as soon as the Funding Council has had an opportunity to consider the findings of the report. This is expected to happen before the end of July.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials have had with the Higher Education and Funding Council for England on the (i) finances of and (ii) student numbers at London Metropolitan University; and on what dates those discussions took place.

David Lammy: holding answer 10 July 2009
	HEFCE discussed the current situation at London Metropolitan university with Ministers in February 2008, 24 March 2009, 6 May 2009, 10 June 2009 and 8 July 2009. In addition there were discussions at HEFCE's board meeting on 28 February 2008, 8 May 2008, 17 December 2008, 22 January 2009, 26 February 2009, 1 April 2009, and 7 May 2009. A senior official from the Department was present at each of these meetings. There have been regular discussions between HEFCE and other departmental officials throughout this period.
	Ministers and officials have not sought to influence decisions on the finances of or the student numbers at London Metropolitan university, which under sections 65(1) and 68(2b) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 are a matter for the Funding Council.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure an independent inquiry into the finances of London Metropolitan University following the Westminster Hall adjournment debate of 20 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 435-57WH.

David Lammy: holding answer 2 July 2009
	I fully supported the Funding Council's decision to commission an independent review of its own handling of the situation at London Metropolitan university. It has also always been my view that a similar review should be conducted into the actions of the university itself, and I have made that view clear in discussions with the Funding Council. I am therefore pleased that London Metropolitan has now commissioned Sir David Melville and Deloitte to conduct such a review. I believe that this must look at all aspects of what happened at London Metropolitan, including issues of governance.

Post Office Card Account

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made in the discussions between Xafinity Paymaster and the Post Office on the payment of armed forces pensions into the Post Office Card Account.

Kevan Jones: I have been asked to reply.
	I will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested shortly.

Students: Fees and Charges

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the total receipts from university tuition fees debt repayments in each year from 2009-10 to 2019-20.

David Lammy: Provisional figures for income contingent student loan repayments, either notified to or received by the Student Loans Company, in the financial year 2008-09 were £788.3 million(1). It is not possible to break down this figure to amounts repaid for tuition fee loans and maintenance loans, as they are consolidated in the borrower's loan account.
	Estimates of income contingent student loan repayments will depend on a number of factors, including student numbers, graduate income levels and patterns of behaviour. Estimates for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are approximately £1.2 billion and £1.4 billion respectively. Estimates for later years are not available.
	Figures for financial year 2009-10 are expected be published in a Statistical First Release in summer 2010.
	(1) This figure covers direct repayments to SLC, and HMRC notifications of repayments collected through the tax system sent through to SLC in that year, less refunds by SLC to customers where borrowers have over paid their loans-English domiciled students studying in the UK and EU students studying in England.
	 Source:
	SLC Statistical First Release 2002-09 published 25 June 2009.

Students: Radicalism

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to paragraph 9.22 of the UK Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, Cm 7457, what the highest priority establishments are which his Department is targeting to reduce the risk of radicalisation on campus.

David Lammy: This Department prioritises support to Higher Education Institutions in local authority areas which receive specific Prevent funding to ensure that these institutions are fully linked up to local police and Prevent partnerships that already exist in these areas. Further targeted support with individual institutions will begin in the new academic year.

Training: Logistics

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government has spent on improving the skills of the workforce in the logistic transport industry in Wales in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	UK Government funding for Skills for Logistics, the Sector Skills Council for the logistic transport industry, is provided through the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. Over the last five financial years, they have provided the following funding for the UK as a whole:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 1.519 
			 2005-06 2.127 
			 2006-07 2.352 
			 2007-08 1.940 
			 2008-09 2.438 
		
	
	As Skills for Logistics is allocated resources to provide training across the UK, spending in Wales could only be disaggregated at disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Young People

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people aged 24 years or under were classified as not in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available are graduates.

David Lammy: holding answer 13 July 2009
	The number of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training in the first quarter (January to March) of 2009 was 935,000. Of these, 7.2 per cent. (67,000) held a degree level qualification (or a qualification equivalent to a degree, level 5) or higher.
	These estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is a sample survey subject to variability so numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to one decimal place.
	(1 )Age used is the respondents academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August.

Unemployment: Young People

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged between 16 and 24 years old who were classified as not in education, employment or training at the latest date for which figures are available have at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 13 July 2009
	The number of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training in the first quarter (January to March) of 2009 was 935,000. Of these, 404,000 (43.2 per cent.) held an NQF level 2 qualification or higher. NQF level 2 is the equivalent to five GCSEs grade A*-C.
	These estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is a sample survey subject to variability so numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to one decimal place.
	(1 )Age used is the respondents academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August.

Unemployment: Young People

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people aged between 16 and 24 years old classified as not in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available do not have a level 3 qualification.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 13 July 2009
	The number of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training in the first quarter (January to March) of 2009 was 935,000. Of these, 79.6 per cent. (744,000) did not hold a level 3 qualification.
	These estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is a sample survey subject to variability so numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to one decimal place.
	(1) Age used is the respondents academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 273970, tabled on 5 May 2009, on the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 July 2009,  Official Report, column 432W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expenditure his Department has incurred in  (a) Helmand Province and  (b) elsewhere in Afghanistan in 2009-10 to date. [Official Report, 12 October 2009, Vol. 497, c. 1MC.]

Douglas Alexander: The budget for Helmand province in 2009-10 is £18 million and the rest of Afghanistan is £109.5 million. We anticipate spending our full combined budget of £127.5 million by the end of 2009-10.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) publishes expenditure in its annual report and the Statistics in International Development publication. These are available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has allocated for reconstruction, development and stabilisation projects in Babaji, Helmand province following the completion of Operation Panchai Palang; and what steps his Department is taking to secure contributions from international and development agencies for such projects.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has set aside a total of £72 million over the next four years to promote stability and development in Helmand province as a whole, including for projects in Babaji.
	DFID also works with the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to allocate additional funding to Helmand from the cross-departmental Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF). The three Departments have agreed to set aside almost £15 million of SAF funding for district stabilisation projects across Helmand in 2009-10. In the Babaji area, funds will be used to respond to identified needs in the areas of health, education, policing, elections, justice and small-scale infrastructure. Our support will enable the Afghan Government to re-engage in Babaji.
	Over the next few months, DFID will provide £5 million and the SAF will provide an additional £3 million for wheat seed, fertiliser, and agricultural assistance across Helmand province, including to farmers in Babaji. From September, USAID will provide agricultural vouchers, cash for work, and small business grants throughout Helmand, which will include Babaji.
	DFID support includes two long-term infrastructure projects on which we are working with our international development partners. DFID has secured co-funding from the Asian Development Bank for the construction of a 48 km road through the Babaji area, connecting Lashkar Gah to Gereshk. DFID, the Asian Development Bank and the Danish Government will also co-fund the rehabilitation of a hydro-power plant in Gereshk. The project is expected to triple electrical generation capacity, benefiting 200,000 people.

Afghanistan: Prisoners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the implications of the custodial sentence imposed on journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh for his Department's plans to provide assistance to the legal and judicial sector in Afghanistan.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no plans to provide funding to the formal legal and judicial sector in Afghanistan.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on UK assistance to the rule of law in Afghanistan. FCO engagement in Afghanistan, like all UK support to legal and judicial systems worldwide, is aimed at improving human rights and the rule of law. The challenges faced in the Afghan legal and judicial system demonstrate why it is so important that the UK remains engaged in this sector.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the Government's progress towards its 2005 G8 commitment to double aid for the eradication of poverty in Africa by 2010.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are on track to meet their commitments to Africa made at the Gleneagles G8 meeting in 2005. Our expenditure in Africa is projected to reach £3.4 billion in 2010-11, from a baseline of £1.26 billion in 2004-05. These spending levels were confirmed in the April 2009 Budget.

Armed Conflict

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which states he considers to be fragile.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to increasing its efforts in fragile states, and so a list is needed to monitor our progress. DFID's current list combines a mix of the World Bank's Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) index and the Fund for Peace's Failed States Index (FSI). We will update the list every two years with the next update due in October this year.

CDC

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries in which CDC has investments do not meet the international tax standard.

Douglas Alexander: CDC has existing investments in six jurisdictions which, as of the progress report by the OECD Global Forum of 8 July 2009, have committed to but not yet met the international tax standard of 12 Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs). These are:
	Cayman Islands
	British Virgin Islands
	Netherlands Antilles
	Vanuatu
	Singapore
	Malaysia
	CDC will in future only commit capital to new funds and direct investments in jurisdictions implementing the international tax standard and in the developing countries they are aiming to help.

Departmental Databases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his Oral Statement of 6 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 701-4, on Building Our Common Future, when he expects the searchable database of his Department's funded projects will be available online.

Michael Foster: The date when this database will be available has not yet been established.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Michael Foster: Our records show that in the last five years we have had no BlackBerry devices lost and the total number of mobile phones lost was 13. We cannot break this down further as this information is not readily available and cannot be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	The total number of mobile phones lost in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Numbers lost 
			 2004-05 3 
			 2005-06 5 
			 2006-07 4 
			 2007-08 1 
			 2008-09 0

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) photocopiers,  (b) scanning devices and  (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: In the Department for International Development's two UK offices we have as follows:
	
		
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 Photocopiers 28 28 27 
			 Scanners 7 7 8 
			 Fax machines 72 66 63 
		
	
	Information on machines held in our overseas offices is not held centrally, and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The number of fax machines has declined in recent years, as we increasingly rely on e-mail. Scanners are mainly used in relation to our electronic document management system.

Departmental Information Officers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department of  (a) press officers and  (b) other press office staff has been in each year since 1997.

Michael Foster: The cost of press office staff salaries in 2008-09 was £940,154 and for 2007-08 was £648,516; this includes permanent and agency staff. The other requested information was provided in the answer on 21 April 2008,  Official Report , column 1426W.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what changes have been made to his Department's  (a) office equipment and  (b) stationery purchasing policy in the last six months.

Michael Foster: There have been no changes to the Department for International Development's office equipment or stationery purchasing policy in the last six months.

Developing Countries

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the terms of recruitment and retention for the cadre of 1,000 civilians that his Department is proposing to utilise in unstable environments will be.

Michael Foster: The cadre will comprise 200 civil servants, forming the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre (CSSC), and 800 deployable civilian experts (DCEs) from outside the civil service.
	The CSSC members will remain as part of their home departments when they are on the cadre. If they are selected for a deployment overseas they will seconded to the stabilisation unit for the duration of the deployment, after which they will return to their home department.
	DCEs will be recruited and remain on the database on a voluntary basis. No financial retainers will be paid. Regular communication with them will establish their continued availability and willingness to deploy.

Developing Countries

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development under what process individuals may volunteer to work for the Globalisation Unit which will undertake work in unstable environments.

Michael Foster: Individuals can apply to be part of the Stabilisation Unit's civilian capability by making an application via the Stabilisation Unit website at
	www.stabilisationunit.gov.uk.
	The cadre is made up of civil servants who can apply to the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre (CSSC) and those from outside the civil service who can apply to be a deployable civilian expert (DCE). If accepted onto the roster, candidates will be considered for specific deployments.

Overseas Aid

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the oral statement of 6 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 701-04, on his Department's White Paper, what percentage of his Department's budget will be allocated to  (a) budget aid,  (b) project aid and  (c) funding multilateral institutions in each year covered by the White Paper.

Michael Foster: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) spending plans to 2010-11 will be included its annual report due to be published before the summer recess. This will be made available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has  (a) committed to and  (b) spent in Gaza in 2009-10.

Michael Foster: The total budget currently allocated for the Occupied Palestinian Territories for this financial year is £67 million.
	In the first three months of 2009-10, the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent approximately £6 million in Gaza on support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other organisations providing humanitarian assistance.
	A further £5.5 million is in the pipeline for Gaza, including a payment that we will soon make to the Palestinian Authority (PA) through the World Bank Trust Fund. This will help pay teachers, doctors and engineers, and keep basic services running. In addition, this financial year we expect to spend a further £7.6 million on early recovery assistance in Gaza.
	We have earmarked the remaining £20 million for reconstruction when access restrictions are eased and it is possible for projects to start.
	Since the political situation in Gaza remains fluid, we cannot give exact figures on how much will be spent this year. However, we aim to maintain flexibility so that we can respond at short notice if possible. The amount of further support to the PA for this financial year, which would also benefit Gaza, is still to be decided.

Remittances

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the cost of foreign nationals sending home remittances; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) White Paper published on 6 July 2009 and available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	outlines our new commitments on remittances.
	DFID will work with the World Bank co-ordinated Global Remittances Working Group, set up by the G8 this year. We also have a number of country partnerships focused on reducing costs and developing new products for remittances.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to monitor whether aid recently allocated by his Department to Zimbabwe reaches its intended recipients.

Gareth Thomas: All UK bilateral assistance to Zimbabwe is provided through trusted partners, mainly the United Nations and non-governmental organisations who have robust monitoring and financial accounting systems to ensure aid reaches its intended recipients. In addition, we review all our contributions regularly to ensure our funds meet the objectives for which they were intended. This is done through quarterly reporting and annual reviews in addition to field visits.
	We do not pass funds directly to the Government of Zimbabwe or through the government financial management system, nor do we make payments to partners through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Alcohol

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) people,  (b) under 18 year olds,  (c) under 16 year olds and  (d) under 12 year olds (i) attended and (ii) were admitted via accident and emergency departments for excessive consumption of alcohol in each primary care trust area in England in each year since 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: The information for alcohol-related attendances at accident and emergency departments is not collected centrally. Information on alcohol-related hospital admissions is collected centrally. Tables which show the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions via accident and emergency departments has been placed in the Library. These relate to numbers of admissions rather than individuals.
	A small proportion of alcohol-related hospital admissions relate to chronic conditions which, based on research evidence, are attributed to alcohol consumption within the Government's lower risk guidelines for regular consumption.
	It should be noted that information on alcohol-related hospital admissions is only available for the years 2002-03 to 2007-08 and that because of patient confidentiality data for under 18s have not been broken down into the age groups requested. Additionally, primary care trust boundaries changed between 2005-06 and 2006-07, so separate tables have been provided for the two periods.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many minors received treatment for alcohol addiction in each primary care trust area within the ceremonial county of Hampshire in each of the last five years; and what estimate his Department has made of the average cost per patient of treatment for alcohol addiction in each such year.

Gillian Merron: Information about the number of minors receiving treatment for alcohol addiction is not collected centrally. Therefore, the Department is unable to estimate the average cost per patient of treatment for alcohol addiction.

Carers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State, Department of Health on 11 June 2009,  Official Report, column 976, on carers, what the basis is of his Department's estimate of the number of carers in England.

Phil Hope: The main source of information that the Department uses for the number of carers is the 2001 Census.
	Nomis, a web-based database, run by the university of Durham on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, shows that there were 4.85 million carers in England.
	We recognise the importance of having up-to-date information on carers. That is why we have recommended to Parliament that a question on carers is included in the 2011 Census. This will provide a 10-year comparison with 2001 for the number of carers in each local area and the number of hours of care they provide.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for  (a) initial orthodontic assessment and  (b) subsequent orthodontic treatment was in the North East region in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The following tables show the median in-patient waiting time for elective admission in weeks for oral surgery, orthodontics between the time periods shown (table 1) and the median out-patient waiting time for a first out-patient appointment in weeks for the time periods shown (table 2).
	
		
			  Table 1: In-patient commissioner hospital-based waiting list statistics: specialties-oral surgery, orthodontics 
			  Weeks 
			Month ending 
			  Area  Specialty  March 2003  March 2004  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  September 2007 
			 North East Oral surgery 8.4 8.4 6.6 6.6 6.5 7.1 
			 North East Orthodontics 8.0 8.2 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = No orthodontic waiters were declared for the time periods specified.  Notes: 1. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. In-patient waiting times are measured from decision to admit by the consultant to admission to hospital. 3. The last time this data was collected was for period ending September 2007. 4. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. 5. In particular, specialties with low numbers waiting are prone to fluctuations in the median. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data.  Source: Department of Health Waiting List Collections QF01 and MMRCOM. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median out-patient waiting time for first out-patient appointment not seen, 2005-07 (commissioner-based), out-patient commissioner hospital-based waiting list statistics: specialties-oral surgery, orthodontics 
			  Weeks 
			Month ending 
			  Area  Specialty  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  September 2007 
			 North East Oral surgery 4.5 4.7 4.1 3.8 
			 North East Orthodontics 5.4 5.6 4.4 4.5 
			 n/a = No orthodontic waiters were declared for the time periods specified or there were very low numbers.  Notes: 1. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. Out-patient waiting times are measured from referral by the general practitioner (GP) to first out-patient appointment to the consultant. 3. From 2004-05 all timebands for out-patients not seen were first collected so only average waiting first out-patient times can be made from this point in time. 4. The last time this data was collected was for period ending September 2007. 5. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. In particular, specialties with low numbers waiting are prone to fluctuations in the median. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data.  Source: Department of Health Waiting List Collections QM08R and MMRCOM. 
		
	
	From 1 January 2009, no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their GP or dentist to start of their consultant-led treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer. The 18-week commitment covers pathways that involve or might involve consultant-led care, including orthodontics, which is now recorded under the oral surgery speciality.
	Latest data show that since January 2009, the national health service has been delivering the operating standards for 18 weeks to ensure that no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their consultant-led treatment, unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the standard of service provided to his Department and its agencies by contractors appointed by reverse auction.

Phil Hope: The Department and its two executive agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, do not use reverse auctions as part of procurements within their own budgets.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what databases which will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will contain personal information are  (a) under construction and  (b) expected to go live in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Planned application developments which will contain personal information on members of the public or departmental staff are summarised in the following table. Year relates to expected year of implementation.
	Any personal data stored on the Department's databases are subject to the Data Protection Act and to our own, internal data protection policy.
	Following the publication of the cross government data handling review in June 2008, new projects and programmes that hold significant amounts of personal data are obliged to conduct privacy impact assessments.
	
		
			   Year  Database  Description 
			  2009-10 Hospitality Reporting Staff hospitality details and declarations of interest 
			  2009-10 Public Bodies Data on the membership of all the Department's sponsored public bodies 
			  2009-10 Third Sector Funding Grant applications and award monitoring process 
			  2009-10 The National Pandemic Flu Service Pandemic flu information management system 
			  2011-12 Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) Details of medical treatment received while abroad and evidence of entitlement. System to be jointly managed with Department for Work and Pensions and Customs and Revenue 
			  n/k e-Directory Contact details for departmental staff and external contacts. Under consideration, but on hold; likely to be implemented sometime within the next five years 
			 NHS Choices n/k Contact management system Information on service providers who support the NHS Choices programme. Timing uncertain but likely to be in the next two years 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) MHRA are not developing, and have no plans to develop, any databases containing personal information in the next five years 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) PASA are not developing, and have no plans to develop, any databases containing personal information in the next five years 
			 NHS Connecting for Health There are a number of programmes which are either in the planning or initiation phase. The datasets for these programmes will be developed as a consequence of the detailed analysis within each specific programme and it is, therefore, not possible to provide the requested detail at this stage. NHS Connecting for Health operate a comprehensive Information Governance programme with which all programmes must comply. The specific detail of future datasets will be submitted to the Information Standards Board for review and evaluation at the appropriate time within each programme

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: We are aware of only one attempt to gain unauthorised access to departmental databases or information and communication (ICT) systems in each of the last five years. A web page defacement resulted in a website page being altered without permission. There was no data loss, nor were any sensitive files compromised.
	
		
			  Unauthorised access 
			   Attempts  Successful attempts 
			   Databases  ICT Systems  Databases  ICT Systems 
			 2004-05 0 0 0 0 
			 2005-06 0 0 0 0 
			 2006-07 0 1 0 1 
			 2007-08 0 0 0 0 
			 2008-09 0 0 0 0

Departmental Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information databases his Department  (a) maintains and  (b) uses which do not contain personal information.

Phil Hope: The Department maintains over 600 internal databases. Many of these are for local use and contain a limited amount of personal data. To provide an up-to-date and accurate list of all maintained databases would require analysis at disproportionate cost. The most significant are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Databases managed by the Department of Health not holding personal information 
			  Database  Information 
			 Business Management System-(BMS) Financial Departmental financial information 
			 FIMS NHS financial information 
			 Refcosts NHS financial information 
			 UNIFY NHS statistical data 
			 VAXX Public Health vaccines data 
		
	
	All databases maintained by the Department are managed in compliance with the Data Protection Act. The categories of data held, and the purposes for which they are used, are detailed in the Department's entry in the Information Commissioner's Data Protection Register. This can be viewed at:
	www.ico.gov.uk/ESDWebPages/DoSearch.asp?reg=4295533
	The following databases contain personal information. Where the title of the database does not on its own explain its content, a brief note of explanation has been added.
	
		
			  Databases managed by the Department of Health holding personal information 
			  Database  Information 
			 Abortion Notifications Forms required by the Abortion Act 1967 
			 Agenda for Change Prison Service Database Job evaluation data 
			 Briefing material (LINUS) The Department's policy lines 
			 Business Management System (BMS)-HR The Department's Human Resources data 
			 Business Management System (BMS)-Procurement The Department's procurement data 
			 Certificate of Free Sales Medical technology company name and address details 
			 Clinical Excellence Database Medical consultants employed by the NHS in England and Wales, and NHS employers 
			 Contact Correspondence management system including ministerial correspondence, parliamentary questions, and freedom of information requests 
			 Distribution of Business Departmental Business Pages 
			 Dignity Champion Database Dignity in Care 
			 Directors of Estates and Facilities - 
			 Directory (Internal) The Department's staff lists 
			 Electronic Staff Record NHS employees 
			 External Directory Details of external contact 
			 Extra Care Housing Fund Bid and award information for Extra Care Housing Scheme grants 
			 Healthy Start Issuing Unit Database Individuals who may receive financial assistance 
			 Healthy Start Reimbursement Unit Retailer register for the Healthy Start Scheme 
			 Honours Material Personal and staffing information 
			 MEDBEN Medical benefits overseas health claims 
			 Mental Health Service Users Personal Data Individual casework data under mental health legislation 
			 Modernising Medical Careers Contacts from Doctors applying for speciality training posts in the NHS 
			 National Child Measurement Programme Primary school children weight assessment data 
			 National Research Register Research projects funded by or of interest to the NHS (archived from July 2009) 
			 National Stakeholder Forum Membership and Contacts - 
			 Nursery Milk Redemption Unit Day care provider details 
			 Occupational Health Smart Card System Pre-employment checks of doctors 
			 Payroll The Department's staff payroll 
			 Personal Medical Services (PMS) Pilots Central Return - 
			 POPPI and PANSI Registered Users Database POPPI (Projecting Older People Population Information), PANSI (Projecting Adult Needs and Servicing Information) 
			 Prison Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Death in Custody Reports - 
			 Private Contact Data for Mental Health Stakeholders - 
			 PROTOBS Private Office and Top of the Office Business System 
			 Injury Cost Recovery (ICR) Schemes Recovery of insurance payments in respect of treatment to accident victims provided by the NHS 
			 Security Vetting Database Staff clearance details 
			 SHA Very Senior Managers (VSM) Salaries and Performance Markings Data about managers in the NHS and arm's length bodies

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) photocopiers,  (b) scanning devices and  (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: A managed print service was introduced in 2007, which included the deployment of multi-functional devices, many of which have scanning and fax capabilities and which replaced most of our photocopiers. Prior to the introduction of this service, the Department had 93 photocopiers.
	The Department also has local reprographic units on its London estate, which are used for bulk copying. These local reprographic units have a total of nine photocopiers for this purpose.
	Historical information regarding the numbers of scanners and fax machines is not held. As at July 2009, there are 179 faxes and 98 scanners on the estate.
	Since the managed print service has been introduced no new scanners and four fax machines have been purchased in the last three years.

Departmental Hospitality

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department maintains a record of gifts and hospitality declared by its staff.

Phil Hope: All staff in the Department are bound by the Civil Service Management Code to declare gifts and hospitality received. A record of these declarations are maintained on the Department's register of interests.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many persons his Department  (a) employed directly and  (b) engaged as external contractors to work on press and public relations matters in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each such year;
	(2)  how many persons his Department's non-departmental public bodies  (a) employed directly and  (b) engaged as external contractors to work on press and public relations matters in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each such year.

Phil Hope: The available information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of press officers employed by the Department's Media Centre, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Number of staff 
			 2007-08 28 
			 2006-07 26 
			 2005-06 30 
			 2004-05 30 
			 2003-04 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Costs for the Department's Media Centre Staff, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Cost (£ million) 
			 2007 - 08 1.369 
			 2006 - 07 1.765 
			 2005 - 06 1.772 
			 2004 - 05 1.471 
			 2003 - 04 1.284 
		
	
	Figures exclude social security and pension costs. We are unable to give figures for 2008-09 as they have not yet been audited.
	These figures only relate to activity by the Communications directorate and not to other areas of the Department as this would incur disproportionate cost.
	It is not possible to include figures for non departmental public bodies as these figures are not held centrally.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the rules on movements of his Department's staff to commercial companies under the business appointments procedures.

Phil Hope: Rules on civil servants taking up outside business appointments are published in the Civil Service Management Code (section 4.3) which can be found at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/work/codes/csmc/index.aspx
	Section 4.3 Annex A contains the full guidance on accepting outside business appointments. The Department complies fully with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code in ensuring adherence to the business appointments procedure.
	These rules are also referred to in the Directory of Civil Service guidance, available at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/civil_service/civil_service_guidance.aspx
	Standard employment contracts for all senior civil servants refer to the rules on outside business appointments.

Departmental Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which third party organisations  (a) he and his predecessors,  (b) other Ministers in his Department and  (c) senior officials in his Department have met in the last 12 months to discuss matters relevant to the formulation of his Department's policies.

Phil Hope: Ministers and officials meet a wide range of organisations throughout the year and the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will instruct the Food Standards Agency to issue briefing material to United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament on progress in establishing maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: No specific levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements have yet been proposed by the European Commission or discussed in Commission-led working group meetings with member states.
	At this stage there are no plans for the Food Standards Agency to provide briefing material to United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament on progress in establishing maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive.

Doctors: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 25 June 2009 on the European Working Time Directive, what  (a) the 200 rotas recommended for a derogation from the Directive for doctors in training and  (b) the two rotas not recommended for such a derogation are; and what the reasons for the decision were in each case.

Ann Keen: All rotas recommended for derogation are listed in the Statutory Instrument that was laid before Parliament. The services were recommended for derogation, as they were unlikely to be able to provide working arrangements for junior doctors of the complaint with the requirements of the directive in time to meet the deadline of 1 August and would require further support to become compliant.
	The two rotas not recommended for derogation were outside of the scope of directive as they did not refer to junior doctors in training posts.

Doctors: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 25 June 2009 on the European Working Time Directive, which 62 trusts made applications for derogations from the Directive for doctors in training; what reasons were given in each application; and whether or not a derogation was granted in each case.

Ann Keen: 202 services applied for derogation. 200 were recommended for derogation as they were unlikely to be able to provide working arrangements for junior doctors of the complaint with the requirements of the directive in time to meet the deadline of 1 August and would require further support to become compliant. Two services were not recommended because they were outside of the scope of directive as they did not refer to junior doctors in training posts.
	All services are listed within the Statutory Instrument, which was laid before Parliament and is in the public domain.

Drinking Water: Fluoride

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the fluoridation of water supplies in  (a) England and  (b) West Derbyshire.

Ann Keen: We consider that fluoridation of water is capable of reducing inequalities in oral health, but strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for decisions on proposals for new schemes. The SHAs have to take account of assessments of oral health needs conducted by their primary care trusts (PCTs), the configuration of the water distribution system and the outcome of local, public consultations. We understand that PCTs across the East Midlands, including Derbyshire County PCT, are conducting a feasibility study to assess the costs, benefits and technical options of fluoridation.

Drugs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of obtaining out of stock medicines in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: While the Department has not specifically made an estimate of the costs to the national health service of obtaining out of stock medicines, the Department is in discussions with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee regarding the difficulties pharmacies are facing in obtaining some medicines.

Drugs: Misuse

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of patients treated by the NHS for drug addiction in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk were no longer addicted at the end of their treatment in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The number and percentage of people treated by the national health service for drug addiction in the East of England and Suffolk is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  Eastern region   
			 Completed treatment 793 19 856 21 1,620 32 
			 Total discharged 4,232 100 4,052 100 5,047 100 
			
			  Suffolk   
			 Completed treatment 98 19 81 19 138 29 
			 Total discharged 522 100 424 100 481 100 
			  Notes: The data covers adults-only as young people are not considered to be drug-dependent; adults are defined as over 18s; the data is for all those who completed treatment and are therefore assessed as being no longer dependent on drugs; and the data covers all specialist drug treatment, not just NHS.  Source:  National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.

Drugs: Risk Assessment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the National Patient Safety Agency has undertaken a risk assessment of proposals for generic drug substitution.

Mike O'Brien: No such formal assessment has been undertaken.
	Patient safety will be paramount in taking forward the work on generic substitution. It has long been the Department's policy to encourage generic prescribing where possible, for reasons of good professional practice and because of the opportunities for more effective use of national health service resources. However, we have always recognised that there are circumstances in which it may be clinically appropriate to prescribe a particular brand of drug even where a generic is available if the prescriber considers it essential for the patient to receive that specific product. This position will need to be maintained under any new specific proposals made as part of the work on generic substitution.

Eating Disorders: Finance

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on treating eating disorders in the period 2004 to 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: This information is not held centrally. Primary care trusts are responsible for providing local health services and together with their strategic health authorities are responsible for deciding which services to plan, commission and develop to meet the health needs of their local communities.
	Since 2001-02, real terms investment in adult mental health services increased by 44 per cent., or £1.7 billion, putting in place the services and staff needed to transform mental health services. The national health service spent £5.53 billion on these services in 2007-08 compared to £3.844 billion in 2001-02.

Epilepsy: Medical Treatments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 886-7W, on epilepsy: medical treatments, if he will consider the merits of making specific exclusions to his policy of generic substitution.

Mike O'Brien: No decisions have yet been made on whether any medicines and, if so, which should be excluded from the arrangements for generic substitution.

Food: Chemical Analysis

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on trends in their budgetary provision for the chemical analysis of food over the last five years.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not held such discussions with local authorities. The Food Standard Agency (FSA), however, as the central competent authority in the United Kingdom for controls on feed and food (safety and standards) uses statutory powers to monitor and audit local authority performance which include reporting on sampling activities by local authorities. Local authorities are measured against responsibilities set out in the Statutory Food Law Code of Practice (separate parallel codes of practice exist for each of the four UK countries). Local authority monitoring and audit information is available from 2000, and can be found at:
	www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/auditandmonitoring/mondatabyyear/

Food: Safety

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish a system of standard food sampling rates in consultation with food authorities.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standard Agency (FSA) as the Central Competent Authority in the United Kingdom for controls on feed and food (safety and standards), has no plans to set sampling rates for local authorities. Local authority food sampling responsibilities are set out in the statutory Food Law Code of Practice (Separate parallel Codes of Practice exist for each of the four UK countries). Local authorities are required to put together a sampling programme which details their intended food sampling priorities, taking into account the number, type and risk rating of premises in their area and any national or local consumer issues that may influence sampling rates. Also important are any responsibilities under the originating or home authority principle.
	Local authorities may be audited against the Code of Practice requirements as part of the FSA's audit scheme (as part of the Framework Agreement on Local Authority Food Law Enforcement).

Food: Safety

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an evaluation of the cost effectiveness of food screening laboratories.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standard Agency has not carried out an evaluation of the cost effectiveness of food screening laboratories. However, the cost effectiveness of the analytical provision for local authorities is assured as a result of the current requirement for local authorities to appoint a public analyst through competitive tender. This allows local authorities to choose to send samples to laboratories that are competitive in terms of price and quality of service.

Food: Safety

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to local authorities on levels of their budgets for chemical analysis of food.

Gillian Merron: Local authority food sampling responsibilities are set out in the Food Law Code of Practice (separate parallel Codes of Practice exist for each of the four United Kingdom countries). Local authorities are required to put together a sampling programme which details their intended food sampling priorities, taking into account the number, type and risk rating of premises in their area and any national or local consumer issues that may influence sampling rates. Also important are any responsibilities under the originating or home authority principle.
	Local authorities must ensure the resources necessary to carry out the food sampling programme are made available.

General Practitioners: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the likely effect on the number of GP surgeries upgraded to training practices of the £100 million in capital funding brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 and 2008-09; and how much of the funding has been spent in each month since it was announced.

Mike O'Brien: Our initial indications are that over 700 general practitioner practices have made bids for funding to upgrade their practices. It is too early in the programme to indicate the amount of money spent.

Health Hazards: Mobile Phones

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on  (a) the adequacy of recommended safe levels of exposure to electromagnetic radiation and  (b) the adequacy of guidelines for protection from such radiation established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection;
	(2)  what steps the Government has taken to implement the recommendations of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones; and what measures are in place to protect children under the age of 12 years from exposure to potentially harmful radiation from mobile telephones;
	(3)  what discussions he has had in the Council of Ministers on the recommendations concerning EU member states contained in the European Parliament's Resolution of 2 April 2009 on health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to  (a) identify and  (b) protect against the effects of mobile telecommunications radiation emissions those categories of people who have particular susceptibilities to them.

Gillian Merron: Between 1 June 2009 and 8 July 2009 the Department received one letter and one e-mail, both from the same member of the public, that mention guidelines for exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
	In 2004 the National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB) recommended adoption of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) exposure guidelines for occupational and public exposure to electromagnetic fields between zero and 300 gigahertz (GHz). The NRPB's recommendations can be found in the document Advice on Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (0-300 GHz) Documents of the NRPB volume 15 number 2, on the Health Protection Agency (HPA) website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733817602?p=1219908766891
	The NRPB's scientific review underpinning their recommendations is entitled Review of the Scientific Evidence for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (0-300 GHz). Documents of the NRPB volume 15 number 3 are on the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733787839?p=1219908766891
	The Government response to the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (Stewart) report was reviewed in the report Mobile Phones and Health 2004: Report by the Board of NRPB Documents of the NRPB volume 15 number 5 which is on the Health Protection Agency (HPA) website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733821582?p=1219908766891
	A departmental leaflet on mobile phones and health, published following the Stewart report recommendation for further public information, includes advice concerning children's use of mobile phones and can be seen on the Department's web site at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4123979
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	In response to the Stewart report, the Government have supported research on exposure to radio waves in the independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR). A copy of the MTHR report of 2007 has already been placed in the Library. Information on a further phase of research is available on the MTHR website at:
	www.mthr.org.uk/research_projects/MTHR2_projects.htm
	The HPA report on electrical sensitivity HPA-RPD-010-Definition, Epidemiology and Management of Electrical Sensitivity. Report for the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency cab be found on the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733810369?p==1197637096018
	United Kingdom Health Ministers have not had any discussions in the Council of Ministers on the recommendations concerning European Union member states contained in the European Parliament's Resolution of 2 April 2009 on health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was  (a) claimed and  (b) recovered from each partner nation for medical claims under the provisions of (i) form E111 and (ii) the European Health Insurance Card in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the amounts actually claimed to date by the United Kingdom against other European economic area (EEA) member states and the actual amounts paid to date against those claims for each of the last five calendar claim years.
	The amounts are combined claims for temporary visitors (via European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), or form E111 prior to its replacement in 2005 by the EHIC), posted workers (via form E106) and referrals for treatment in other EEA countries (via form E112). Due to the nature of the claims system between member states, it is not possible to disaggregate these data consistently for all member states by either type of claim or type of treatment. The figures in the tables reflect the fact that EEA medical costs are typically submitted by member states (including the UK) one to three, and sometimes more, years in arrears.
	
		
			  EEA health care cost claims: Claims under Article 93 of Regulation (EC) 1408/71: UK claims against member states 
			2004( 1)  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Austria Initial claims total 101,281 14,617 - 14,673 50,750 
			  Total paid to date 101,281 14,617 - 14,673 14,929 
			
			 Belgium Initial claims total 1,295,401 1,394,748 1,369,548 6,277 36,075 
			  Total paid to date 1,295,401 1,394,748 1,369,548 6,277 32,976 
			 Bulgaria(3) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Cyprus(2) Initial claims total - - - 382 4,515 
			  Total paid to date - - - 0 0 
			
			 Czech Republic(2) Initial claims total - - - - 2,260 
			  Total paid to date - - - - 2,260 
			
			 Denmark(4) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Estonia(2,6) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Finland(7) Initial claims total - - - 148 1,873 
			  Total paid to date - - - 148 0 
			
			 France Initial claims total 2,164,442 2,164,442 2,223,048 2,223,048 - 
			  Total paid to date 2,164,442 2,164,442 2,223,048 2,223,048 - 
			
			 Germany Initial claims total 18,431 15,265 74 12,633 53,611 
			  Total paid to date 0 15,265 74 12,633 45,774 
			
			 Greece Initial claims total 398,318 581,601 36,410 108,948 594,653 
			  Total paid to date 274,413 489,230 0 0 0 
			
			 Hungary(2,7) Initial claims total - - - 10,658 8,219 
			  Total paid to date - - - 10,658 8,219 
			
			 Iceland Initial claims total - - - - 24,942 
			  Total paid to date - - - - 24,942 
			
			 Ireland(8) Initial claims total 10,504,622 11,365,387 10,023,000 12,174,837 12,488,558 
			  Total paid to date 8,633,491 9,339,096 8,092,946 9,407,794 10,370,960 
			
			 Italy Initial claims total 1,804,107 912,920 131,826 147,251 708,649 
			  Total paid to date 1,443,286 730,336 105,461 117,801 566,919 
			
			 Latvia(2) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Liechtenstein Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Lithuania(2) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Luxembourg(5) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Malta(2,7) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Netherlands Initial claims total 5,414 - - 6,691 41,428 
			  Total paid to date 0 - - 0 0 
			
			 Norway(7) Initial claims total - 968 - - - 
			  Total paid to date - 0 - - - 
			
			 Poland(2) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Portugal Initial claims total 22,773 44,614 - 12,887 172,331 
			  Total paid to date 9,097 20,251 - 3,481 0 
			
			 Romania(3) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Slovakia(2) Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			 Slovenia(2) Initial claims total 434 - - - 5,991 
			  Total paid to date 434 - - - 5,991 
			
			 Spain Initial claims total 1,762,209 2,234,214 2,489,817 65,005 85,501 
			  Total paid to date 1,588,438 2,017,951 2,237,251 0 74,829 
			
			 Sweden Initial claims total 1,334 17,710 - - 18,160 
			  Total paid to date 1,334 17,710 - - 18,160 
			
			 Switzerland Initial claims total - - - - - 
			  Total paid to date - - - - - 
			
			  Initial claims (all countries) 18,078,766 18,746,486 16,273,723 14,783,438 14,297,517 
			  Total paid to date (all countries) 15,511,616 16,203,647 14,028,328 11,796,512 11,165,960 
			 (1) Under European Union regulations claims are made on a calendar year basis. Totals for each calendar year are based on actual claims submitted to date. (2) Acceded to the European Union in 2004 (3) Acceded to the European Union in 2007 (4) Total waiver. (5) Previous total waiver, expired on 30 June 2008. (6) Waiver, excepting Article 22.1c (patient referral) and Article 55.1c (industrial injury) claims. (7) Waiver, excepting Article 22.1c (patient referral) claims (8) Totals for Ireland for 2008 and previous years are estimated and subject to negotiations.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the net effect on the public purse of the termination of the reciprocal health agreement with the Isle of Man in the 12 months following termination; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has not yet given formal notice on the bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man but it has informed the Isle of Man of the intention to do so. Because of a perceived imbalance in the numbers of tourists being treated by both parties, under the bilateral agreement the UK has provided the Isle of Man with an annual allocation, to fund clinical referrals to the UK, of around £2.5 million in recent years. The UK will no longer provide this, once the agreement is terminated. Following the end of the agreement, UK residents will require travel insurance when visiting the Isle of Man, likewise Isle of Man residents visiting here.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients diagnosed with  (a) cancer and  (b) heart disease waited for treatment for over six months in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Cancer patients from the Tamworth constituency area would receive treatment from the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust or Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For quarter four 2008-09 for Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, of the 235 cancer patients treated, 233 or 99.1 per cent. of them began their first definitive treatment within 31 days of receiving their diagnosis and agreeing a care plan. For quarter four 2008-09 for Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, of the 180 cancer patients treated, 179 or 99.4 per cent. of them began their first definitive treatment within 31 days of receiving their diagnosis and agreeing a care plan.
	Tamworth constituency is within the South Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT) area. Information on the number and percentage of admitted and non-admitted patients with heart disease for 2008-09 is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment (RTT) waiting time figures for the number and percentage of patients who are admitted and not admitted to hospital for the treatment of heart disease at South Staffordshire PCT 
			  Admitted pathways 
			 Of which: 
			   Treatment function  Total number of admitted pathways  26 weeks  Percentage 26 weeks 
			 2007-08 Cardiothoracic surgery 231 20 9 
			 2007-08 Cardiology 799 91 11 
			  
			 2008-09 Cardiothoracic surgery 400 13 3 
			 2008-09 Cardiology 1,185 31 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-admitted pathways 
			 Of which: 
			   Treatment function  Total number of non-admitted pathways  26 weeks  Percentage 26 weeks 
			 2008-09 Cardiothoracic surgery 388 4 1 
			 2008-09 Cardiology 4,412 97 2 
			  Notes: 1. RTT waiting times figures are collected separately for patients who are admitted to hospital for treatment and for those for whom a decision not to admit is made. 2. Data on non-admitted patients has only been collected since August 2007, so the only full year for which figures are available is 2008-09.  Source: Department of Health Monthly Referral to Treatment Statistics

Health Visitors: Crimes of Violence

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physical assaults on health visitors were recorded in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2004-05, the NHS Security Management Service has collected information on the number of physical assaults reported against national health service staff in England. Tables showing the number of assaults reported by each health body have already been placed in the Library.

Health: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in supporting scientific and medical research undertaken by charities in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The Department's National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN) provides the health service infrastructure to support clinical trials and other studies funded by both commercial and non-commercial organisations. All eligible studies funded by research charities are automatically entitled to CRN support. The network is currently supporting 850 such studies. They comprise some 38 per cent. of the total CRN portfolio.
	The cost of the CRN in 2008-09 was £158 million. It is not possible separately to identify what part of that expenditure was attributable to the support given to research charity funded studies.

Heart Diseases: Death

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mortality rate for heart disease in Tamworth constituency was in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate for heart disease in Tamworth constituency was in each of the last five years. (286337)
	The table attached provides the age-standardised mortality rate, where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause of death, for Tamworth parliamentary constituency, from 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population,( 1,2)  where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause of death,( 3)  Tamworth parliamentary constituency,( 4)  2003-07( 5) 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 
			   Rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 2003 134 (113-155) 
			 2004 120 (100-139) 
			 2005 95 (78-112) 
			 2006 106 (88-124) 
			 2007 107 (89-124) 
			 (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for ischaemic heart disease was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes 120-125. (4) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Hospital Beds

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed spaces on average there were at  (a) Addenbrooke's,  (b) West Suffolk and  (c) Ipswich hospital in (i) 1997, (ii) 2002 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The average daily number of available and occupied beds by sector, national health service organisations in England, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2007-08, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   1997-98  2002-03  2007-08 
			   Total  (Available)  Total  (Occupied)  Total  (Available)  Total  (Occupied)  Total  (Available)  Total  (Occupied) 
			 Addenbrookes NHS Trust Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (formerly known as Addenbrookes) 1,302 1,110 1,026 898 1,079 927 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 761 623 767 668 682 542 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 713 496 638 577 491 393 
			  Source: Department of Health form KH03

Hospital Beds

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital bed days there were for  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) all respiratory diseases in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The hospital bed days data for 2007-08 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and all respiratory disease in England and each primary care trust (PCT) are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary care trust of responsibility code  Primary Care Trust Of Responsibility Description  Respiratory diseases  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease( 1) 
			  Total (England) 3,863,569 794,363 
			 
			 59898 Not Applicable 18,317 2,599 
			 59999 Unknown 846 152 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 15,684 2,921 
			 5A4 Havering PCT 16,619 3,542 
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 12,189 2,325 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 21,462 3,791 
			 5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 15,953 4,079 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 15,252 2,149 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 13,415 2,424 
			 5C1 Enfield PCT 14,407 2,658 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 13,605 3,602 
			 5C3 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 13,283 2,583 
			 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 19,863 5,021 
			 5C5 Newham PCT 17,209 3,783 
			 5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 14,543 2,095 
			 5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT 8,775 2,302 
			 5CN Herefordshire PCT 13,256 2,094 
			 5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 13,391 2,680 
			 5D7 Newcastle PCT 27,936 6,886 
			 5D8 North Tyneside PCT 24,403 5,367 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 8,483 2,177 
			 5E1 North Tees Teaching PCT 15,866 3,900 
			 5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 14,068 3,552 
			 5EM Nottingham City PCT 22,086 4,620 
			 5ET Bassetlaw PCT 7,104 1,920 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 16,303 3,054 
			 5F5 Salford PCT 25,151 5,478 
			 5F7 Stockport PCT 24,645 5,286 
			 5FE Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 14,423 2,651 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 13,889 2,317 
			 5GC Luton PCT 12,666 2,881 
			 5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 12,624 2,357 
			 5H8 Rotherham PCT 22,540 5,310 
			 5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 26,903 5,739 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 15,124 4,136 
			 5HQ Bolton PCT 24,164 5,309 
			 5HX Ealing PCT 22,372 3,741 
			 5HY Hounslow PCT 16,341 2,980 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 14,023 3,304 
			 5J4 Knowsley PCT 20,321 5,844 
			 5J5 Oldham PCT 18,168 4,014 
			 5J6 Calderdale PCT 19,300 4,921 
			 5J9 Darlington PCT 7,755 1,664 
			 5JE Barnsley PCT 25,035 7,872 
			 5JX Bury PCT 11,148 1,959 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 12,103 2,576 
			 5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 14,731 2,112 
			 5K6 Harrow PCT 9,184 1,491 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 13,811 3,301 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 16,898 4,100 
			 5K9 Croydon PCT 21,626 5,416 
			 5KF Gateshead PCT 22,194 5,353 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT 17,520 4,300 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 30,087 7,249 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 14,285 2,578 
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT 18,703 4,219 
			 5L3 Medway PCT 15,540 2,731 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 8,761 1,954 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 12,388 2,401 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 17,368 3,460 
			 5LE Southwark PCT 16,837 3,649 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 17,304 3,807 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 16,950 3,305 
			 5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 22,573 3,714 
			 5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 15,377 2,673 
			 5M1 South Birmingham PCT 32,819 6,708 
			 5M2 Shropshire County PCT 21,136 3,904 
			 5M3 Walsall Teaching PCT 25,384 5,933 
			 5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 12,081 1,836 
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 24,628 5,212 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 14,644 2,792 
			 5MD Coventry Teaching PCT 26,177 5,040 
			 5MK Telford and Wrekin PCT 11,932 2,052 
			 5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 20,363 4,389 
			 5MX Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 20,056 3,067 
			 5N1 Leeds PCT 67,297 15,320 
			 5N2 Kirklees PCT 32,652 6,489 
			 5N3 Wakefield District PCT 30,323 8,444 
			 5N4 Sheffield PCT 61,707 11,683 
			 5N5 Doncaster PCT 29,776 6,925 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 59,126 12,179 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT 19,012 2,598 
			 5N8 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 42,942 7,260 
			 5N9 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 50,626 10,445 
			 5NA Redbridge PCT 16,458 2,371 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 16,611 2,739 
			 5ND County Durham PCT 43,452 11,508 
			 5NE Cumbria Teaching PCT 43,228 9,975 
			 5NF North Lancashire Teaching PCT 30,543 7,507 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 37,239 7,243 
			 5NH East Lancashire Teaching PCT 24,085 6,602 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 26,064 7,202 
			 5NK Wirral PCT 29,083 6,167 
			 5NL Liverpool PCT 58,955 15,384 
			 5NM Halton and St. Helens PCT 30,452 8,097 
			 5NN Western Cheshire PCT 19,924 3,664 
			 5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 34,896 7,328 
			 5NQ Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 16,889 3,391 
			 5NR Trafford PCT 18,155 3,695 
			 5NT Manchester PCT 50,077 10,944 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 50,917 10,175 
			 5NW East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 25,403 5,843 
			 5NX Hull Teaching PCT 28,033 7,902 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 34,182 6,305 
			 5P1 South East Essex PCT 21,131 6,260 
			 5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 24,853 5,328 
			 5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 30,711 6,794 
			 5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 32,126 5,529 
			 5P5 Surrey PCT 69,523 11,194 
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT 49,193 8,318 
			 5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 25,107 5,312 
			 5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 15,180 3,096 
			 5P9 West Kent PCT 44,126 8,596 
			 5PA Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 41,852 7,552 
			 5PC Leicester City PCT 24,068 4,712 
			 5PD Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 39,055 8,378 
			 5PE Dudley PCT 25,571 4,300 
			 5PF Sandwell PCT 28,069 5,754 
			 5PG Birmingham East and North PCT 38,567 9,151 
			 5PH North Staffordshire PCT 16,758 3,914 
			 5PJ Stoke on Trent PCT 24,872 5,384 
			 5PK South Staffordshire PCT 36,106 6,371 
			 5PL Worcestershire PCT 40,747 5,344 
			 5PM Warwickshire PCT 36,583 6,702 
			 5PN Peterborough PCT 9,692 1,426 
			 5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 39,227 6,942 
			 5PQ Norfolk PCT 47,936 7,349 
			 5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 15,807 3,792 
			 5PT Suffolk PCT 34,918 5,182 
			 5PV West Essex PCT 21,918 4,540 
			 5PW North East Essex PCT 18,801 4,645 
			 5PX Mid Essex PCT 16,897 2,677 
			 5PY South West Essex PCT 28,657 7,864 
			 5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 46,053 8,932 
			 5QC Hampshire PCT 81,730 14,848 
			 5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 27,568 4,198 
			 5QE Oxfordshire PCT 38,480 7,579 
			 5QF Berkshire West PCT 23,784 3,679 
			 5QG Berkshire East PCT 22,066 4,555 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 51,048 8,559 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 31,729 7,649 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 30,063 4,668 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 34,345 7,525 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 34,811 5,652 
			 5QN Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 30,619 5,372 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 39,821 8,212 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 58,216 11,591 
			 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 12,999 2,870 
			 5QT Isle of Wight NHS PCT 6,824 1,113 
			 TAC Northumberland Care Trust 27,489 6,403 
			 TAK Bexley Care Trust 13,143 2,681 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 9,605 1,681 
			 TAM Solihull Care Trust 14,400 2,465 
			 TAN North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 18,248 4,979 
			 (1 )The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease figures are a subset of the figures for respiratory diseases.

Hospitals: Admissions

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to  (a) West Suffolk,  (b) Addenbrookes and  (c) Ipswich hospital as a consequence of (i) alcoholic liver disease and (ii) cirrhosis in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of alcohol liver disease or cirrhosis of the liver for Cambridge university hospitals NHS foundation trust (Addenbrook NHS trust pre 2004-05), Ipswich hospital trust and West Suffolk hospitals NHS trust.
	
		
			   Alcoholic liver disease  Cirrhosis of the liver 
			  2007-08   
			 Cambridge University Hospitals   
			 NHS Foundation Trust 399 404 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 83 68 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 30 27 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Cambridge University Hospitals   
			 NHS Foundation Trust 400 447 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 58 38 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 36 28 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Cambridge University Hospitals   
			 NHS Foundation Trust 449 359 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 47 24 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 26 18 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Cambridge University Hospitals   
			 NHS Foundation Trust 302 252 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 45 25 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 27 44 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Addenbrookes NHS Trust(1) 372 412 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 46 37 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 28 29 
			 (1) Addenbrookes NHS trust becomes Cambridge university hospitals NHS foundation trust (post 2003-04).  Notes:  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03. to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.  Secondary diagnoses As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 6 prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  PCT/Strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in the data, i.e. the data are ungrossed. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Individualised Budget Programme

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which schemes his Department has chosen for the pilot of the individualised budget programme; how many patients will participate in the pilot programme; and what methodology will be used in the assessment of individualised budgets.

Mike O'Brien: Following an application process earlier this year, we have provisionally selected 70 pilot sites, subject to a further progress check. A full list of provisional pilot sites is available from the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Highqualitycareforall/DH_090018
	and a copy has been placed in the Library.
	Pilot sites will initially only offer models of personal health budget that do not involve direct payments to the patient. Subject to the passage of the Health Bill, direct payments would become an additional option for pilots during 2010.
	We have not set any expectations about numbers of patients in each pilot site. This will be for local sites to decide as they develop their proposals.
	We are currently in the process of selecting an evaluation team. We published an invitation to tender in April, describing what areas the evaluation should explore and inviting bidders to propose a suitable methodology.

Influenza

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many of the cases of H1N1 flu reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) by 16 June 2009 were recorded by the HPA as  (a) male, imported,  (b) female, imported,  (c) male, indigenous and  (d) female, indigenous H1N1 cases; in how many such cases the patient was aged (i) under 10, (ii) 10 to 19, (iii) 20 to 29, (iv) 30 to 39, (v) 40 to 49, (vi) 50 to 59 and (vii) over 60 years; in how many such cases the HPA has recorded (A) the date of symptom onset, the date of obtaining the blood sample from which the H1N1 diagnosis was made and the date of the H1N1 case report and (B) the date of symptom onset, the date of obtaining the blood sample from which H1N1 diagnosis was made, the date of the H1N1 case report and the date on which the H1N1 antiviral prophylaxis or treatment was started;
	(2)  how many of the cases of H1N1 flu reported to the Health Protection Agency by 16 June 2009 were recorded as having been hospitalised by 30 June 2009; and how many such patients were aged  (a) under 10,  (b) 10 to 19 , (c) 20 to 29,  (d) 30 to 39,  (e) 40 to 49,  (f) 50 to 59 and  (g) over 60 years;
	(3)  how many of the cases of H1N1 flu reported to the Health Protection Agency by 16 June 2009 were recorded as being  (a) imported,  (b) indigenous and  (c) not assigned or not known.

Gillian Merron: The cases reported by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are shown in the following tables.
	Not all of the data requested are currently available. This is because:
	testing for swine flu is based on swabs, not blood samples;
	data for Scotland are not currently available for the period requested;
	complete data on the commencement of antiviral treatment or prophylaxis is not available. This is because once detailed data on the first few hundred cases had been collected, the HPA stopped collecting that level of detailed information; and
	verified data on hospitalisations is only available up to 16 June.
	
		
			  Pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 cases reported by 16 June 2009. England, Wales and Northern Ireland  ( PQ285833 ) 
			Age group   
			  Counts  Gender  Under 10  10 to 19  20 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50 to 59  Over 60  Unknown  Grand total 
			 Imported Female 8 10 25 18 11 2 6 1 81 
			  Male 9 12 35 18 12 8 6 7 107 
			  Unknown 1  3  2   1 7 
			 Imported total  18 22 63 36 25 10 12 9 195 
			
			 Indigenous Female 62 64 19 16 14 9 2 5 191 
			  Male 64 123 17 11 6 1 2 3 227 
			  Unknown 10 2 2 1  1  1 17 
			 Indigenous total  136 189 38 28 20 11 4 9 435 
			
			 Unknown Female 48 46 16 7 12 3 2 30 164 
			  Male 50 70 16 17 6 3  26 188 
			  Unknown 17 10 6 2 1 1  33 70 
			 Unknown total  115 126 38 26 19 7 2 89 422 
			 Grand total  269 337 139 90 64 28 18 107 1,052 
			
			 Date of onset not known  143 139 62 43 22 6 5 76 496 
			 Date of onset known  126 198 77 47 42 22 13 31 556 
			 Grand total  269 337 139 90 64 28 18 107 1,052 
		
	
	
		
			  Pandemic influenza A(H1N1v) 2009 cases reported by 16 June 2009. England, Wales and Northern Ireland (PQ2858 3 4) 
			  Number of cases hospitalised 
			   Age group   
			  Hospitalisation  Under 10  10 to 19  20 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50 to 59  Over 60  Unknown  Grand total 
			 Yes 2 - 1 1 1 - - 1 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Pandemic influenza A(H1N1v) 2009 cases reported by 16 June 2009. England, Wales and Northern Ireland (PQ285 8 35) 
			  Route of infection  imported  T otal 
			 Imported 195 
			 Indigenous 435 
			 Unknown 422 
			 Grand total 1,052

KPMG

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS paid to KPMG in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect the specific information requested centrally.

Methadone

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people prescribed methadone were from socio-economic group  (a) C,  (b) D and  (c) E in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: These data are not collected centrally.

National Dementia Strategy: Primary Care Trusts

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy by local primary care trusts.

Phil Hope: The Department has not assessed the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy by local primary care trusts. However, improving services for people with dementia is a Government priority, and we have already identified it as a priority for the national health service in the operating framework. That will help to ensure that dementia is prioritised locally where further improvement may be needed.
	The first National Dementia Strategy was published on 3 February this year, and will be implemented over a five-year period. A copy has already been placed in the Library.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Team: Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Team; and what the annual salary bill is for  (a) all its employees and  (b) its senior management team.

Mike O'Brien: The number of people employed by NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency for 2008-09 was 257 (whole time equivalent). The annual salary bill for 2008-09 was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Employees 13,640,000 
			 Senior management team 874,318

NHS: Dental Services

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number and percentage of the  (a) child and  (b) adult population in (i) the East of England region and (ii) Suffolk who attended an appointment with an NHS dentist in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of adults and children registered with a national health service dentist in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex A of the 'NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006'. Information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA). Annex B contains this information expressed as a percentage of the population.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Information on the number of patients seen in the previous 24 months, in England, is available in Table Dl of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics, Quarter 3: 31 December 2008' report. Information is available for both adults and children at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 31 December 2008 and is provided by PCT and SHA. Table D2 contains this information expressed as a percentage of the population.
	This report, published on 21 May 2009, has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q3

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS whistle-blowing policy applies to foundation trusts.

Mike O'Brien: The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 applies to staff employed by national health service foundation trusts. The Act provides protection to employees raising concerns, where they do so in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to implement the recommendations contained in his Department's document Coding for Success.

Ann Keen: The question relates to a specific recommendation of the Health Select Committee in its report which was published on 3 July. The Government will be considering carefully all of the Committee's recommendations and will respond in due course.

NHS: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 348-49W, on NHS: manpower, which employment agencies supply staff under each National Framework Agreement.

Ann Keen: The information requested is as follows.
	 Suppliers on NHS PASA Medical Locums Framework Agreement
	Accident and Emergency Agency Ltd.
	Ambition Recruitment Services Ltd.
	Arthur Rai Medical Services Ltd.
	Athona Ltd.
	Britannic Medical Services Ltd.
	Capital Care Services (UK) Ltd.
	Care Providers
	Castlerock Care Services Ltd.
	Clinical Employment Services Ltd. (CES)
	Corrigan's Door Ltd.
	Doctors On Call Ltd.
	dr-locums
	DRC Locums Ltd.
	Evergood Associates Ltd.
	First Medical Staffing Solutions Ltd.
	Geneva Health International Ltd.
	G4S Integrated services (UK) Ltd. (formerly GSL UK Ltd.)
	Hays Healthcare
	Holt Medical Recruitment
	ID Medical
	InterAct Consulting (Reality HR)
	kcare nursing agency Ltd.
	Medacs Healthcare Services plc
	Medecho Ltd.
	Medical Professional Personnel Ltd.
	Medicspro Ltd.
	Medicure Ltd.
	Mediplacements Ltd.
	Medpro Group
	Medsol Healthcare Services Ltd.
	Medteam Healthcare Ltd.
	Merco Recruitment Ltd.
	Mild Professional Care Ltd.
	Minutes Medical Staffing Ltd.
	Mylocum Ltd.
	Nationwide Locum Services Ltd.
	Northwest Locums Ltd.
	Orion Locums Ltd.
	Pioneer Recruitment Ltd.
	Pulse Healthcare Ltd. trading as Pulse Doctors
	Reed Healthcare
	Resuscitate Medical Services Ltd.
	Richmond Medical Agency
	RMR Recruitment Ltd.
	Scanloc
	Serving The Nation Locums Ltd.
	Sonographers Medical Ltd.
	Templars Medical Agency
	Thames Medics (HCL)
	The Anaesthetists Agency
	The Consultants Agency Ltd.
	Total Assist Recruitment Ltd.
	United Medicare Ltd.
	 Suppliers on NHS PASA Allied Health Professionals/Health Science Staff Framework Agreement
	1st 4 Locums
	Advantage Healthcare Group Ltd.
	Ambition Recruitment Services Ltd.
	Apex International Recruitment Ltd.
	Ashbourne Healthcare Services
	Athona Ltd.
	Atlantis Medical Ltd.
	Beresford Blake Thomas
	CAMCO Scientific Ltd.
	Capital Care Services (UK) Ltd.
	CK Associates Ltd.
	Clinical Employment Services Ltd.
	Countrywide Medical Selection
	Dream Group Ltd.
	Elite Recruitment
	Geneva Health International Ltd.
	Goldteam Recruitment Ltd.
	Hays Healthcare
	HCL Healthcare
	Holt Medical Recruitment
	Jennie Reeves Radiographers Agency
	JustPhysio Ltd.
	Locum Placement Group Ltd.
	Maxxima
	Medacs Healthcare Services plc
	Medic International Ltd.
	Medical Management Services Ltd.
	Medical Technical Ltd.
	Medicspro Ltd.
	Mediplacements Ltd.
	Morgan Hunt
	Orchard Medical
	Orion Locums Ltd.
	Physio Services Ltd.
	Piers Meadows Recruitment Ltd.
	Pinnacle Podiatry Services
	PJ Locums
	PL-UK Recruitment
	PPLS International Ltd.
	PULSE Staffing
	RS Medical and Allied Services Ltd.
	Recruitment Specialist Group
	Reed HealthCare
	RIG Medical Recruit Ltd.
	Sanctuary Health Ltd.
	Sonographers Medical Ltd.
	Star Angel Care Ltd.
	Sugarman Medical Ltd.
	The Locum Partnership
	The Medical Room Ltd.
	Your World Recruitment
	 Nursing suppliers on NHS PASA Multi Regional Framework Agreement
	Advantage Healthcare Ltd.
	Allied Healthcare Group Ltd.
	Apex Nursing and Care Services Ltd.
	Arcadia Recruitment Ltd.
	Ashbourne Group Ltd.
	Care Providers (AD) Ltd.
	Celsian health and Social Care
	Direct Nursing Associates Ltd.
	ENS Recruitment Ltd.
	Excel Direct Nursing Agency
	Fowler Group Ltd.
	Healthcare Recruiters Ltd.
	Jark Healthcare Ltd.
	Kcare Nursing Agency Ltd.
	Key Care and Support Ltd.
	L S Care Ltd.
	NL Group Ltd.
	Medacs Healthcare plc
	Medical Professional Personnel Ltd.
	Medicall (Northampton) Ltd.
	Montagu Nursing Agency
	Pinnacle Primcare Services Ltd.
	Pulse healthcare Ltd.
	R  S Medical and Allied Services Ltd.
	Servoca Nursing and care Ltd.
	Team Medical Ltd.
	The Flame Lily Nursing Agency
	Twenty Four Seven Recruitment (Yorkshire) Ltd.
	 Nursing suppliers on NHS PASA London Framework Agreement
	Advantage Healthcare Nursing and Care Ltd.
	Advantage Healthcare Overseas Staffing
	Allied Healthcare Group
	Capital Staffing Services Ltd.
	Care Providers (AD) Ltd.
	Castlerock Care Services Ltd.
	Direct Nursing Associates Ltd.
	ENS Recruitment Ltd.
	Firstpoint Healthcare Ltd.
	Geneva Health International Ltd.
	Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd.
	Health Professionals Recruitment Services Ltd.
	Kaidy Ventures Ltd.
	London Nurses Agency Ltd.
	Medical Professional Personnel Ltd.
	Montagu Nursing Agency
	Nursing 2000 Ltd.
	Paediatric Nursing Link Ltd.
	Pertemps Recruitment Solutions
	Pinnacle Health Care Ltd.
	Pulse Healthcare Ltd.
	Qualified Cancer Care Ltd.
	R  S Medical  Allied Services Ltd.
	Reed Health Ltd.
	Standard Nursing Agency
	Star Nursing Agency
	Strand Nurses Bureau Ltd.
	Tempaid Recruitment Ltd.
	Top Carers Nursing Agency
	Vera Nursing  Employment Agency

NHS: Procurement

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efficiency savings were  (a) anticipated and  (b) generated under the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioning programme in each year of the programme.

Mike O'Brien: Efficiency savings could not be anticipated in advance of national health service use of the framework. These will be determined on a case-by-case basis, dependent upon type of support required by each individual commissioning authority.
	Some commissioning authorities stipulate a requirement for Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) suppliers to commit to the generation of a degree of savings. This differs from procurement to procurement, and will be dependent upon the type of commissioning service being procured. To date, in those contracts where this stipulation has been made, FESC suppliers have committed to guaranteed savings totalling £18 million. This figure does not include any additional incremental savings subsequently achieved during the course of a contract.

NHS: Procurement

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net cost of the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioning programme has been to date.

Mike O'Brien: To date, the total net cost to the national health service for procurements through the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) is £15 million. In some cases, dependent upon the type of services being procured, there are likely to be additional incremental savings, which will be shared between the commissioning authority and the FESC supplier.

NHS: Procurement

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has paid to KPMG as part of the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioning programme to date.

Mike O'Brien: To date, no contracts have been signed with KPMG by commissioning authorities through the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC). Therefore, to date, the amount paid to KPMG in relation to provision of services through FESC is £0.00. KPMG did provide the central FESC team with some assistance in developing some elements of the generic template documentation. This was a short-term consultancy arrangement to a total value of approximately £25,000.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2009,  Official Report, column 590W, for what reasons he has not yet published the information requested; and if he will publish the information before the House rises for the summer adjournment.

Ann Keen: We will publish the information when we communicate to the European Commission on the provisions of the Working Time (Amendment) Regulations, (Statutory Instrument 2009 No 1567 Terms and Conditions of Employment) which is currently before Parliament.

Nutrition

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the criteria are for entitlement to access a nutritionist on the NHS.

Gillian Merron: There are no nationally prescribed criteria for entitlement to see a nutritionist on the national health service, rather it is a matter for each individual health practitioner to make a clinical decision to refer a patient if they think it advisable, in line with any locally determined guidelines that may apply.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines on Nutrition Support in Adults covers the care of those patients with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition at hospital and at home.

Patients: Discharges

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed nights in each hospital trust were spent by patients who were ready for discharge but remained in hospital in the financial year  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of such delayed discharges in each such year.

Phil Hope: The requested information has been placed in the Library.
	No estimate has been made of the costs to the national health service of delayed discharges.

Radon Gas: Houses

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number and location of households liable to be affected by high levels of radon gas; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimate that approximately 100,000 homes in the UK exceed the action level of 200 Bequerels/m(3) and the location of houses above the action level is shown in a map taken from the 2008 HPA Indicative Atlas of Radon in England and Wales (see following web link). The complete atlas has more detailed information if needed. Only 0.2 per cent. of houses are above the action level.
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733749409?p=1158934607718
	The HPA is currently carrying out a public consultation exercise on whether the action level should be reduced, among other questions.
	Householders and employers are able to find out the risk of a high radon gas level in a property from the radon probability maps of the United Kingdom published by the HPA and, for England and Wales, the British Geological Survey.

Safeguarding Patients and Trust Assurance and Safety

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes his Department has initiated to deliver policies outlined in Trust, Assurance, Safety and Safeguarding Patients since 2007; and what further such programmes are planned for the period to 2012.

Ann Keen: The Government have established the Professional Standards Programme to take forward the recommendations contained in Trust, Assurance, Safety and Safeguarding Patients.
	Between now and 2012 the Government plan to continue with this programme of reform. Elements of the programme that are planned to be implemented in this period include establishing the Office of the Healthcare Professions Adjudicator and designing and introducing systems of revalidation for regulated health care professionals, starting with doctors.

Social Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received care packages part-funded by the NHS following an assessment by social services in each local authority in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of people receiving care packages part-funded by the national health service following a social services assessment is not collected.

Suffolk NHS Trust: Manpower

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) dentists and  (d) non-medical staff Suffolk NHS Trust employed in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information as to how many doctors, nurses, dentists and non-medical staff Suffolk NHS trust employed in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): NHS staff in the West Suffolk hospitals NHS trust by specified staff group , as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 West Suffolk NHS Trust 3,140 3,068 2,825 2,805 2,928 
			   
			 Medical and Dental staff 274 283 285 274 284 
			 Medical staff 266 273 281 268 280 
			 Dental staff 8 10 4 6 4 
			   
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 1,296 1,307 1,228 1,237 1,305 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,013 986 919 932 984 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 283 321 309 305 321 
			 Qualified Allied Health Professions 143 141 130 122 125 
			 Qualified Healthcare Scientists 62 67 70 74 72 
			 Other Qualified Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 78 113 109 109 124 
			   
			 Support to clinical staff 1,005 971 863 845 870 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 839 835 745 731 754 
			 Support to STT staff 166 136 118 114 116 
			   
			 NHS infrastructure support 565 507 449 449 469 
			 Central functions 111 99 100 109 116 
			 Hotel, property and estates 381 332 297 285 291 
			 Managers and senior managers 73 76 52 55 62 
			  Notes:  Data Quality Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census and The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Swine Flu: Schools

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) schools and  (b) special schools have been closed as a result of an outbreak of swine influenza.

Gillian Merron: Information provided to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), initially by the Health Protection Agency and subsequently by Government offices, shows that a total of 100 schools, including six special schools, had closed by 9 July 2009. Of those schools, 93 had reopened by 9 July, leaving seven schools closed, including five special schools.
	There is no statutory duty on schools to report their closure to DCSF, so this data is not necessarily complete.

Swine Flu: Teesside

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS is taking to  (a) assist those resident in Teesside who have been diagnosed with swine influenza and  (b) prevent to further spread of swine influenza in Teesside.

Gillian Merron: The North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has advised that so far the North East has not experienced the high number of cases seen in other areas of the country.
	Now that the management of swine flu has moved to the treatment phase, testing for confirmation of individual cases is no longer taking place, the Health Protection Agency will not have statistics about number of cases and where they are occurring.
	In line with national and regional plans, Teesside's public health team is continuing, through effective communications to ensure the public is kept fully informed about swine flu, what to do if a person believes they might have swine flu, and how to keep good hygiene to reduce the risk of further spread.

Tattooing: Plastic Surgery

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) men and  (b) women (i) over 25 years old and (ii) 25 years old and under have had tattoos removed by the NHS in each year since 2000; and how many and what proportion were aged 25 years and under.

Gillian Merron: Information on the numbers of tattoo removal procedures carried out by the national health service requested is not collected centrally, as hospital episode statistics do not contain specific or diagnosis codes for tattoo removal.
	Tattoo removal may be available on the NHS, according to local primary care trust policies, if a clinician considers that an individual patient's health requires it.

Telemedicine

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of his Department's Preventative Technology Grant  (a) was spent on telecare in 2006-07 and  (b) he estimates will be spent on telecare in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The £80 million Preventative Technology Grant was granted to local authorities with social care responsibilities to provide telecare services, however this funding was not ring-fenced. Specific details of how this money was used by individual local authorities was not gathered, however it is known that the number of new telecare and telehealth users have increased by over 200,000. Any residual Preventative Technology Grant money was allowed to be carried over into 2008-09 to help sustain momentum. No money has been recovered by the Department and local authorities are expected to have used grant funding for telecare purposes.
	During the period of the grant over £80 million worth of business has been procured through the PASA Telecare National Framework Agreement.

vCJD

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1021W, on vCJD, if he will publish the results of the evaluation of vCJD prototype assays; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Evaluation of prototype variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease blood assays is ongoing, and interim results will not be issued at this stage. Results will eventually be published under the auspices of the CJD Resource Centre Oversight Committee.